CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Lincoln. In the first unofficial Test between New Zealand-A and India-A, home-team bowler Simon Keene troubled the Indian batters with an impressive spell. The match began on October 24, 2026, at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, where India-A’s first innings ended at just 113. Keene played a key role in wrapping up the Indian innings with five wickets, while Jack Gibson took three.

Who is Simon Keene? Simon Keene is a New Zealand-A player who earned attention in this match through his bowling. His name was included in New Zealand-A’s announced playing XI. In this match, he did not allow the Indian batters to play freely, using his line, length and swing effectively. However, available reports do not provide detailed information about Keene’s early cricket career, age or experience in international cricket. Therefore, making additional claims about his personal career would not be appropriate.

India-A’s batting order faltered after New Zealand-A won the toss and chose to bowl first. India-A made a poor start, with KL Rahul dismissed without scoring. Yashasvi Jaiswal made 17, while Devdutt Padikkal scored 32. But with wickets falling regularly, the Indian team could not come out of pressure. Sai Sudharsan also failed to open his account. Captain Dhruv Jurel made only one run. Keene further weakened the Indian batting by taking the wickets of Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel and other important wickets in the final phase of the innings.

Yash Rathod held one end even as wickets continued to fall. He batted aggressively and remained unbeaten on 44 off 49 balls, with three fours and three sixes. His innings helped India-A reach the 100-run mark. Keene took five wickets for 24 runs in 11.3 overs, while Jack Gibson dismissed three batters for 29 runs. India-A’s first innings ended in 39.3 overs.

For India-A, this match is an opportunity to test its batting preparation in New Zealand conditions. The team includes players such as KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. After a disappointing performance in the opening innings, the Indian team will be looking to fight back and stay in the contest through its bowling.

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