Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma couldn’t make a big impact in the third unofficial ODI between India A and Australia A at Green Park, Kanpur, on October 5. Both batters, who were key performers in India’s Asia Cup 2025 title run, fell early while chasing a challenging total. Australia A’s captain Jack Edwards led from the front with a fine 89 off 75 balls as his team posted 316 runs in 49.1 overs.
Opening the innings, Prabhsimran Singh provided a brisk start for India A alongside Abhishek Sharma. However, Abhishek’s stay at the crease ended soon after as he scored 22 off 25 balls before being dismissed by Todd Murphy. His wicket came with the score at 83/1 in the 12th over, breaking what looked like a promising start for the hosts.
Tilak Varma, who walked in next, also couldn’t settle in. He managed just three runs off six deliveries before being trapped lbw by Murphy in his next over. The Australian spinner’s double strike put India A on the back foot early in the chase, halting their momentum during the powerplay.
Both Abhishek and Tilak are in great form in the recent past despite the low scores in this match. Abhishek became the winner of the 2025 Asia Cup Player of the Tournament, recording 314 runs with a 200 strike rate, whilst Tilak had been consistent over the course of the tournament. His composure under pressure was demonstrated when he won the Player of the Match award with a 69 in the last against Pakistan.
Tilak Varma Stars as India A Lose to Australia A
In the second unofficial ODI between Australia A and India A, Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck, while Tilak Varma played a brilliant knock of 94 runs off 122 balls, hitting 5 fours and 4 sixes. Despite Tilak’s excellent performance, India A lost the match by nine wickets (DLS method), as Australia A easily chased down the target of 160 in just 16.4 overs in a rain-shortened 25-over game.
In the meantime, the senior Indian team will shortly visit Australia to play a white-ball series of three ODIs and five T20Is. The BCCI has declared the teams and Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in international cricket after the 2025 Champions Trophy and give experience and depth to the players.
