India 'A' defeat New Zealand 'A' by 5 wickets

India 'A' notched up a convincing five-wicket victory over New Zealand 'A' in the first unofficial One-Day International match at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln today. Chasing 231 after opting to field, India completed the task with more than 20 overs to spare.

 

Opener Prithwi Shaw smashed 48 off 35 balls to lay the foundation for the visiting team's chase. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who replaced Dhawan in



India's T20 squad, blazed away to a 21-ball 39, while Suryakumar Yadav hammered 35 off a mere 19 deliveries.

 

With the ball, Mohammed Siraj was the most successful bowler for India 'A', picking up three wickets for 33 runs, while there were two wickets each for Khaleel Ahmed and Axar Patel. The second unofficial ODI will be played in Christchurch on Friday and third on Sunday.