Nathan McSweeney kept his name in the Ashes conversation after another standout performance, but the Australia A captain could not stop India A from surging back into contention in the second four-day match in Lucknow.

The home side will resume Friday’s final day needing a further 243 to win with eight wickets in hand after KL Rahul (74) broke the back of their fourth-innings chase in pushing his side to 2-169 at the Ekana Stadium.

But India have bigger concerns after Rahul became the second member of their Test squad in as many days to suffer an injury in this match.

The veteran opener, one of the stars of their drawn Test bout in England earlier this year, walked off the field with a team physiotherapist having faced 92 balls in sapping conditions in the country’s north where the humidity rose above 70 per cent on Thursday.

With the match not being broadcast or streamed, it was unclear how severe the injury was.

KL Rahul bats against spin on day three // BCCI

Todd Murphy (2-49) seized upon Rahul’s unexpected exit, immediately dismissing his replacement, Devdutt Padikkal for 5, to finish as Australia A’s standout bowler.

Rahul’s injury comes after fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, another Test incumbent who was today named in a 15-man squad to face West Indies next week, was substituted out of the match the previous day having suffered a concussion from a Henry Thornton bouncer.

While India A were in the wars, it has not stopped them from putting the visitors under heavy pressure after McSweeney’s side had dominated their more experienced opponents through the first half of the encounter.

McSweeney (85no) and Josh Philippe (50 from just 48 balls) put on 90 for the fifth wicket, but Australia A lost 4-17 and 5-78 either side of that in their second dig to be rolled for just 185.

It has left the door ajar for India A, who would have expected to be chasing far more than the 412 they were set, especially after they gave up a 226-run first-innings advantage.

Australia A were scrambling as Rahul and N Jagadeesan (36) raced along at five-an-over against the new ball. They slowed the rate down after Murphy finally got the first breakthrough, but none of the other six bowlers McSweeney turned to were able to capitalise.

With the Aussies resuming on 3-16, things had gone from bad to worse in the opening session when they lost Cooper Connolly on the second ball of the day to slump to 4-17.

Philippe salutes his half-century on day three // BCCI

Philippe pinned his ears back to score a blistering half-century, continuing a strong off-season run with Australia A that has included an unbeaten 123 in the first four-dayer against India A, as well as an 85 against Sri Lanka A in Darwin in July.

McSweeney too kept his good ‘A’ form going, having made four fifty-plus scores in eight innings for the side he has captained this winter, and will head into the Sheffield Shield season with momentum to win back a Test top-order spot.

His two half-centuries in this match have come at his preferred spot at first drop, but selectors picked him as an opener last summer against India and could be swayed to do so again against England should the runs keep flowing.

The BCCI meanwhile confirmed today that Sheryas Iyer, who has taken a six-month break from red-ball cricket, will captain the India A side against Australia A in the three one-day match series.

Australia A tour of India

India A four-day squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur. Second match only: KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj

Australia A four-day squad: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton. Second match only: Will Sutherland

September 16-19: First four-day match: Match drawn

September 23-26: Second four-day match, Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, 3pm AEST

India A one-day squad (first match): Shreyas Iyer (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abishek Porel (wk), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh

India A one-day squad (second and third matches): Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh

Australia A one-day squad: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Lachlan Hearne, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Henry Thornton

September 30: First one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 3pm AEST

October 3: Second one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 3pm AEST

October 5: Third one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 4pm AEDT