Dinda, Mishra bowl India A to comfortable win

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Chennai: Medium pacer Ashok Dinda and leg spinner Amit Mishra shared eight wickets between them to propel India A to a comprehensive 129-run victory over New Zealand A in their four-day cricket match here on Wednesday.

Dinda scalped five for 60 off 18.4 overs, while Mishra, selected for the Indian Test squad against Australia, claimed three for 55 in 25 overs as New Zealand, facing a stiff target of 355 for a win, were bundled out for 225 in 81.4 overs in the first over after tea break on the final day .

Resuming at 41/1, New Zealand's resistance through some Aaron Redmond (37) James Marshall (47), captain Peter Fulton (39) and Reece Young (39 not out) but the visitors kept losing wickets in quick succession.

Dinda, who generated good pace, claimed back-to-back wickets twice. He first struck in the 49th over when Greg Hay (20) and Marshall appeared to be settling down for a long innings, adding 58 runs for the fourth wicket.

He uprooted the off-stump of Hay and then trapped Neil Broom leg before, but missed a hat-trick when Nathan McCullum, playing backfoot, survived a confident leg before appeal with the Kiwi score on 5/148.

Marshall, who took upon the anchor role playing 103 balls in his 177-minute stay at the crease, put up a brave fight in the company of Young, forcing captain Suresh Raina to shuffle his bowlers too often in the second half of the post-lunch session.

Marshall finally departed in the 71st over falling to Mishra, going for a sweep shot. The partnership yielded 47 crucial runs in 15.4 overs.

Dinda then came back strongly after tea to bowl out New Zealand of his third and fourth ball of the over. Boult was first to go, giving a thick edge to wicketkeept Wriddhiman Saha while playing a rising delivery and last man Brent Arnel was out leg before in the next ball.

Earlier in the morning, Redmond (85b, 5x4, 1x6) and Fulton (62b, 7x4) played with ease against Indian bowlers, especially the medium pacers, in adding 68 runs for the second wicket when Mishra broke the partnership, taking two wickets in the same over.

Redmond stepped out and attempted to go over long off and the resultant mishit was well taken by a running Jaydev Shah in the 29th over. Mishra then had Fulton caught by Saha.