India A suffered a middle-order collapse against Australia A in the third and final unofficial ODI in Puducherry on Sunday, October 11, after making a strong start to their innings. India A were reduced to 169/6 after 32 overs, with Suryansh Shedge and Vipraj Nigam at the crease. The hosts had looked comfortable early in the innings but struggled to maintain momentum as Australia A's bowlers struck at regular intervals.

Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave India A an aggressive start, putting together an 83-run partnership. Arya scored 49 runs, narrowly missing out on a half-century, while Prabhsimran contributed 39. Their partnership provided the foundation for a competitive total, with India A looking well placed during the opening phase of the innings.

Australia A fought back strongly after the opening stand was broken, picking up five wickets for just 35 runs to shift the momentum in their favour. The quick succession of dismissals exposed India A's middle order and prevented the team from building on its promising start. The visitors' disciplined bowling and regular breakthroughs put the batting side under increasing pressure.

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India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also failed to convert his start into a substantial score, departing before reaching his half-century. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar were unable to make significant contributions, further complicating India's efforts to rebuild the innings. With six wickets down, the responsibility fell on Shedge and Nigam to stabilise the innings and help the hosts post a respectable total.

For Australia A, pacers Liam Scott and Ben Dwarshuis were among the leading performers with the ball, claiming two wickets each. Their contributions helped the visitors regain control after India A's early dominance. Australia A entered the final match under Nathan McSweeney's leadership, seeking to complete a clean sweep after winning the first two games of the series.

India A, meanwhile, were looking to secure a consolation victory after losing the series. With the innings entering its later stages, the remaining batters needed to build partnerships and accelerate the scoring to give their bowlers a reasonable total to defend. Australia A's continued pressure left the hosts facing a challenging task as they attempted to recover from the collapse.

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