Dhruv Jurel struck a fluent 71 while fellow Rajasthan Royals starRavindra Jadeja contributed a handy 25 as India A tightened their grip over New Zealand A in the thirdNZ A vs IND A 2026 unofficial Test at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Sunday.
India A declared their first innings at 464/5 before reducing New Zealand A to 36/2 at stumps on the second day, leaving the hosts trailing by 428 runs.
Resuming on 227/2, with Jurel unbeaten on 12, India A continued to build on the solid foundation laid by another Royals playerYashasvi Jaiswal, who had struck 102 on the opening day.
Jurel played positively alongside Sai Sudharsan as the pair added 66 runs for the third wicket.
Sudharsan, however, could add only 11 runs to his overnight score before being bowled by Zak Gibson for 88 off 255 deliveries.
The India A captain, however, continued to attack, bringing up his half-century off 75 deliveries.
The 25-year-old Jurel eventually scored 71 off 95 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, before falling to Cameron Paul in the 93rd over.
The India A captain mistimed a pull shot off a short delivery and was caught at deep backward square leg.
The knock marked Jurel's second successive fifty-plus score in the series, having struck 105 in the first innings of the second unofficial Test in Christchurch.
Jurel has now scored 17 half-centuries and amassed 2,890 runs in 41 matches at an average of 55.58 in first-class cricket.
Jadeja then joined Tilak Varma at 306/4 and helped India A consolidate their position with a 44-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The experienced all-rounder scored 25 off 71 deliveries before edging a delivery from Gibson to Matthew Boyle at first slip in the 113th over.
Tilak then combined with Washington Sundar for an unbeaten 114-run sixth-wicket partnership to help India A reach 464/5 before declaring.
New Zealand A's response began poorly as the hosts ended the day on 36/2 after 14 overs.
The first two matches of the three-match unofficial Test series ended in draws.
Jurel, Jadeja and Jaiswal are also part ofIndia's Test squad for the New Zealand tour, with the two-match series beginning in Wellington on November 19.
