Assad Fudadin

Cheteshwar Pujara hit an unbeaten 306 as India A rode on his brilliance to force West Indies A stare at an embarrassing defeat in the third unofficial 'Test'.

India A conceded a slender 47-run first-innings lead to the West Indies A despite a fighting half-century by Uday Kaul on Day 3 of the second unofficial Test.

India A all-rounder Abhishek Nayar expressed hope that they will be able to score a series-levelling win against the West Indies A on Saturday even as the wicket was not helpful for the bowlers.

Having made peace with the West Indies Cricket Board, explosive batsman Chris Gayle returned to the country's Test side after more than 18 months.

Bhargav Bhatt, who picked up three wickets on Day 1, said it was imperative for them to polish off the West Indies tail to be in advantageous position in the second unofficial Test.

India A bowlers managed just one wicket in the post-lunch session as West Indies A reached 175/3 in their first innings at tea on Day 1 of third unofficial Test.

Saurashtrian run-machine Cheteshwar Pujara cracked an unbeaten 199 as India A rode on their captain's brilliance to gain control of the third unofficial Test against West Indies A by taking a substantial 154-run first innings lead on Friday.

A triple strike in the final session queered the pitch for West Indies A on the opening day of the second 'Test' match against India A in Shimoga on Wednesday.

India A took a firm grip of the third unofficial Test against the West Indies A after reducing the visitors to 199/5 at lunch on the fourth and final day on Saturday.

India A started their cricket tri-series campaign on a disastrous note as they slumped to a humiliating 166-run defeat at the hands of West Indies A side in the opening match at the County Ground.

A dogged 74-run unbeaten partnership between opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Assad Fudadin helped West Indies A reach 173/3 at tea on the first day.

Parvez Rasool impressed with a five-wicket haul but Windies 'A' held the edge as they made inroads into the India 'A' batting line-up after being all out for 429.

A 99-run partnership between Vasudevan Jagadeesh and Abhishek Nayar saw India A reach 344/9 on Day 3 of second unofficial Test against West Indies A.

For long periods on Friday, it seemed as if a different West Indies 'A' team had turned up for the match as the passion and intensity shown earlier was missing.

Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara hit a triple ton as India A gained control of the third unofficial 'Test' against West Indies A by taking a 296-run first innings lead.

India 'A' pacers Abhishek Nayar (4-61) and Dhawal Kulkarni (3-60) called the shots as Windies 'A' were skittled for 268 in 77.4 overs on Day 1 of third 'Test'.

Brathwaite (92) and Edwards (91) narrowly missed out on centuries before India A bowlers staged a fightback to keep West Indies A to 264/5 on Day 1.

A patient 82 by opener Kraigg Brathwaite helped West Indies A reach a decent 283/6 in 90 overs on Day 1 after opting to bat in second unofficial four day 'Test'.

Led by an in-form Cheteshwar Pujara, India A would eye revenge for the ODI series loss when they take on a confident West Indies A in the three-Test series.

It will be interesting to see how skipper Cheteshwar Pujara handles the team filled with heavyweights such as Sehwag, Gambhir and pacer Zaheer Khan.

It will be a litmus test for Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as India A need nothing less than a victory against West Indies A in final unofficial 'Test'.

West Indies A batted brilliantly in first two sessions before India A bowlers fought back strongly of the first day's play to share the honours in third unofficial Test.