Anderson and Devcich revive New Zealand A on Day 1

VISAKHAPATNAM: Corey Anderson (100; 16x4, 2x6) and Anton Devcich (115, 15x4) came to the rescue of New Zealand A as the visitors ended Day One of the second unofficial 'Test' against India A at 300/8 on Monday.
The duo came together with the side in trouble at 43/4 and dug deep, stitching together a stand of 165 runs in 39.1 overs to help the Kiwis claw their way back into the contest.
With the pitch not having much to offer once the ball got older, Anderson and Devcich made the best use of the conditions. The hosts too were guilty of offering freebies — from feeding 'hit me' deliveries in the post-lunch session to skipper Abhishek Nayar and Unmukt Chand both dropping Devcich with the batsman on 44 and 75 respectively.
India A did have their moments on the field, with the seamers in particular doing a good job. Dhawal Kulkarni (2-26) appeared at his best, bowling a tidy line, while Shrikant Wagh (1-26) and Imtiaz Ahmed (1-35) too played their parts. Off-spinner Jalaj Saxena had figures of 2-69 while Rakesh Dhurv managed 1-95 for his efforts.
In the pre-lunch session, the Thomas Latham-led side was in trouble straightaway as Dhawal dismissed Neil Broom (0), caught by 'keeper CM Gautham, to leave the Kiwis' score reading 0 for 1. The New Zealand top-order yet again failed to deliver as Dhawal got rid of Carl Cachopa (3), caught by Ahmed at the square-leg boundary.
Luke Ronchi (0) was the next to go, caught by Chand at second slip to an away-swinger from Ahmed. Latham and Corey Anderson took the team's total to 43 before Shrikant Wagh trapped the Kiwi skipper for 21.
With the wicket easing up in the afternoon session, the Indian attack looked jaded as the Kiwi duo took advantage, unleashing a flurry of boundaries that put the hosts on the backfoot. Once Anderson and Devcich were separated, the Kiwi tail comprising Todd Astle (17), Douglas Bracewell (12) and Ish Sodhi (14) ensured that the total touched the 300-run mark before bad light halted the proceedings.
Brief Scores: New Zealand A 300/8 (Anderson 100, A Devcich 115; D Kulkarni 2-26, J Saxena 2-69) vs India A