The India A vs Australia A 1st unofficial Test ended up being drawn after four run-scoring days at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Bizarrely, the biggest talking point wasn't the cricket itself but the absence of live coverage. In an era where fans ridicule "scorecard merchants," everyone became one. 

The game unfolded on a batting haven. A total of 255.1 overs saw only 13 wickets fall 117 runs per wicket. Bowling was difficult, as Prasidh Krishna and Tanush Kotian discovered the hard way. Both were wicketless and leaky. For Prasidh, who fought for control during England, this was another ominous sign with the West Indies Test series looming just weeks away. 

India's bowlers didn't get much pleasure. The top wicket-taker was Harsh Dubey with three wickets, and the most economical was Harnoor Brar but still conceded runs at 4.60 in the first innings. The pitch provided minimal support to bowlers, as marked by the example of Sam Konstas, who had made merely 50 runs in six innings against the West Indies but scored a century here. Josh Philippe also crossed the three-figure mark. 

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Indian batsmen fought back well. Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan, and Sai Sudharsan made starts, with the latter two making fifties. Devdutt Padikkal stole the spotlight with a brilliant 150. Shreyas Iyer, though, flopped with a one-digit score, jeopardizing his Test comeback prospects after Sarfaraz Khan's injury had left the door ajar. 

The only silver lining was Dhruv Jurel. The wicketkeeper, who supported Rishabh Pant in England, made his point again with another good knock. He had scored fifties in each of the four innings against England A earlier in the year, and he has performed reasonably well in Australia as well.

With Pant not yet cleared for the West Indies Tests, Jurel's form could be a godsend for Shubman Gill's inexperienced team, showing he has a right to be considered even as an absolute batter.