Devdutt Padikkal (56*) and Sai Sudharsan (39*) led India's fightback on the second day of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Lincoln. After the hosts built a commanding 204-run first-innings lead, India lost both openers cheaply yet again before an unbroken 96-run stand helped the visitors steady the innings, even as New Zealand A remain firm favourites.

Trailing by a significant margin at the start of their second innings, India slipped further when they lost openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul cheaply inside the first 30 minutes. Having opened his account with a first-ball boundary, Jaiswal was undone by a short ball from Simon Keene at the start of the fourth over. In the next, Rahul was dismissed hit-wicket, hanging his bat out to prevent the ball from rolling onto the stumps but clipping the off stump in the process.

Sudharsan and Padikkal, competing for the No. 3 spot ahead of next month’s Test series, came together to bail India out of early trouble and prevent a collapse similar to the one on Day 1. Padikkal capitalised on an early reprieve to make an unbeaten half-century, putting on 96 runs with Sudharsan, who was batting on 39 not out when stumps were drawn. India still trail by 98 runs with eight wickets in hand, leaving them with plenty of work to do to avoid defeat.

Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 135/3, New Zealand A lost well-set opener Curtis Heaphy after he added just seven runs to his overnight 37, missing out on a half-century. Matthew Boyle, the other overnight batter, also fell soon after, but the middle and lower order resisted to take the hosts past the 300-run mark.

Mitchell Hay and Dean Foxcroft added 43 runs in just under 11 overs to take the total past 200. Foxcroft went on to make a solid half-century, adding another 33 runs with Kristian Clarke in an eighth-wicket stand. Clarke then stitched together two more crucial partnerships - 34 runs off 48 balls for the ninth wicket with Fraser Sheat and a run-a-ball 32 for the tenth with Zak Gibson - to bring up his own half-century. Their efforts gave New Zealand A a 204-run lead that could well prove decisive. For the visitors, Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj picked up three wickets apiece.

Brief Scores: India A 113 and 106/2 (Devdutt Padikkal 56*, Sai Sudharsan 39*) trail New Zealand A 317 (Rhys Mariu 76, Dean Foxcroft 51; Anshul Kamboj 3-52, Auqib Nabi 3-69) by 98 runs.