India A 288 for 8 (Mulani 88*, Kotian 53, Kaverappa 2-30, Harshit 2-49) vs India D

Kaverappa, part of BCCI's target pool of fast bowlers, got the ball to rear up awkwardly off a good length, and troubled both batters with late movement. Agarwal was squared up as he nicked off, while Pratham, who replaced Shubman Gill in the XI, miscued a pull to long leg.

Four balls later, it was Tilak Varma's turn to depart when he was done in by offspinner Saransh Jain, stuck to the crease and beaten by both the length and the turn, as he jabbed at a delivery that turned sharply, with Iyer taking a simple catch at slip.

Kotian was the more enterprising of the two, pouncing on anything lose, and hitting six fours and a six in his 12th first-class half-century. He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, who had wheeled away without much success until then.

On Friday, he'll have an opportunity to prove his bowling fitness against a quality India D line-up that will be looking to push the game forward after being beaten outright in their previous game.