Beardman’s 4-23 steers Australia A to big win over India A in Puducherry

Mahli Beardman, 21, took career-best figures of four for 23 as Australia A thumped India A in the first one-day match in Puducherry on October 8, 2026. He opened the bowling and regularly delivered at around 140 kmph during a spell that put the India A batting line-up under early pressure.

Batters with a combined 20 international caps across formats and 224 encounters in a high-pressure environment like the IPL were made to look foolish by Beardman’s pace. He first made an impression at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup and, according to the report, has sharpened his skills since then. A productive Big Bash League campaign led to a T20I debut against Pakistan.

Beardman took the new ball for the visitors and, by the end of his first spell of 140 kmph projectiles, India A were already in a spot of bother. His searing pace accounted for key wickets and helped set up a convincing Australia A victory in the opening one-dayer.

Beardman addressed his background and influences after the game, saying: "We’ve got a rich history of fast bowling in Western Australia (WA), where I come from. I grew up watching Mitchell Johnson. I was lucky enough to be coached by Dennis Lillee. That’s something that has been passed down."

The pace bowler has spent time as a standby player with the Australian senior squad and has used that period to learn from established quicks. "I try and be as much of a sponge as possible and soak up as much knowledge as I can," he said, and added: "They’ve been awesome from a technical aspect. Being so mature and having played so much cricket, they’ve got a really simple outlook on the game." He specifically referenced picking the brains of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.

With more such outings with the ball, it won’t be long before the 21-year-old reclaims a spot in the senior team.