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Spinners attacked after Marsh fires

Allrounder and Matthew Wade post fifties before India A's Shreyas Iyer attacks

Mitchell Marsh boosted his hopes of a Test recall but Australia's spinners were taken to by aggressive young gun Shreyas Iyer on day two of Australia's tour match in Mumbai.

Quick Single: Australia set to retain bowling status quo

After Shaun Marsh posted a century on day one of the match against India A to firm for a Test recall, the younger Marsh brother added 75 on Saturday as the visitors declared at 7-469 shortly after lunch.

Marsh reflects on great day for Australia in Mumbai

Marsh and Glenn Maxwell appear locked in a battle for the vacant No.6 spot in the Test side and the showdown could be decided by whether selectors regard Marsh's medium pace or Maxwell's off-spin as more useful in Pune, where the four-Test series starts on Thursday.

Maxwell didn't deliver a single over on day two of Australia's only tour game before the first Test, India A finishing 4-176 at stumps, with Iyer unbeaten on 85 from 93 balls.

Report & Highlights: All the action from day one in Mumbai

It means Marsh's plan to return to the Test side for the first time since November is on track.

Marsh learns his lesson since Test axing

"I've been working on some game plans over the last couple of months for this tour," he said after play.

"Probably against the spin, just my defence.

"Hopefully if I get a chance in the big dance, I can implement it."

Marsh was handed the new ball in the absence of rested pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood and with good pace and kept things tight, but failed to create a breakthrough.

Jackson Bird was Australia's most effective and economical bowler, delivering seven maidens to finish with 2-15 from 11 overs.

Highlights: Australia v India A, Day One

But Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe, the spinners who Smith will lean on most in the next six weeks, had few answers to Iyer's confident strokeplay. They finished the day with combined figures of 2-131 from 31 overs.

"All Indian players attack our spinners on the subcontinent, he did that to Nathan Lyon," Marsh said of Iyer.

"Nathan Lyon bowled really well to him and sort of came back."

Iyer achieved fame in India's first-class competition at age 20 when he scored a triple-ton from just 175 balls.

he right-hander, who entered the fray after Lyon dismissed Akhil Herwadkar caught and bowled, hammered his first ball over the offspinner's head and over the rope, the first of his five sixes.

Quick Single: Smith gets unexpected gift in Mumbai

"I took on the challenge. I wanted to spread the field so I could easily take the singles," Iyer said.

"It really worked out well."

Matthew Wade showed both fitness and form in a knock of 64 earlier in the day, which was his first innings since returning home from the recent ODI tour of New Zealand because of a back injury.

Maxwell finished unbeaten on 16, reining in his aggression during a 35-minute stay at the crease that did not feature a boundary.

Image Id: 37AC6817CC7C40B99B76225E082DD4F9 Image Caption: Wade (left) and Mitchell Marsh struck half-centuries on day two // cricket.com.au

Marsh also adopted a more conservative approach at Brabourne Stadium, sitting on 37 off 93 balls at one stage.

He then stroked four boundaries in the space of 10 deliveries, timing the ball in a fashion that would have pleased coach Darren Lehmann and chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns.

Marsh smashed a booming six later in the morning session, cracking the ball back over the head of left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and almost out of the ground.

The allrounder also scored a half-century in Australia's intra-squad game in Dubai, where he claimed the prized scalp of skipper Smith.

DAY TWO SCORECARD


India A v Australia, three-day match, Mumbai


AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS 

David Warner c Kishan b Saini, 25 (30 balls, 4 x 4)

Matthew Renshaw c Kishan b Saini, 11 (41 balls 1 x 4)

Steve Smith retired out, 107 (161 balls, 12 x 4, 1 x 6)

Shaun Marsh retired out, 104 (173 balls, 11 x 4, 1 x 6)

Peter Handscomb c Panchal b Pandya, 45 (70 balls, 3 x 4)

Mitchell Marsh c Indrajith, b Nadeem 75 (159 balls, 11 x 4, 1 x 6)

Matthew Wade c Pant, b Herwadkar 64 (89 balls, 9 x 4)

Glenn Maxwell not out 16 (25 balls, 0 x 4)

Steve O'Keefe not out 8 (20 balls, 1 x 4)


Jackson Bird did not bat

Nathan Lyon did not bat


TOTAL 7-469 dec, 127 OVERS


BOWLING FIGURES 


Asoke Dinda: 21.2-1-78-0


Hardik Pandya: 22-3-84-1


Navdeep Saini: 19.4-7-42-2


Shahbaz Nadeem: 33-1-126-1


Akhil Herwadkar: 15-0-64-1


Shreyas Iyer: 12-0-57-0


PK Panchal: 4-0-11-0


INDIA A 1ST INNINGS

Akhil Herwadkar c & b Lyon, 4 (36 balls, 0 x 4)

Priyank Panchal c Handscomb b Lyon, 36 (62 balls, 5 x 4)

Shreyas Iyer not out, 85 (93 balls, 7 x 4, 5 x 6)

Ankit Bawane lbw Bird, 25 (48 balls, 4 x 4)

Hardik Pandya c Wade b Bird, 19 (57, 2 x 4)

Rashabh Pant not out, 3 (10 balls, 0 x 4)


Ishan Kishan


K Gowtham


Ashok Dinda


Shabaz Nadeem


Navdeep Saini


TOTAL 4-176, 51 OVERS


BOWLING FIGURES


Jackson Bird: 11-7-15-2


Mitchell Marsh: 9-2-26-0


Nathan Lyon: 17-3-72-2


Steve O'Keefe: 14-1-59-0

Australia XI: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitch Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon

India A XI: Hardyik Pandya (c), Priyank Panchal, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Ankit Bawane, Rishab Pant, Ishan Kishan (wk), K Gowtham, Ashok Dinda, Shabaz Nadeem, Navdeep Saini. Reserves: B Indrajith, Rahul Singh, Mohammad Siraj

Australia's schedule in India

Feb 17-19, Tour match v India A, Mumbai

Feb 23-27, First Test, Pune


Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru


Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi

Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala