Sam Harper’s positive approach pays off with unbeaten century in India

Puducherry, 30 September 2026: Sam Harper believes a willingness to put bowlers under pressure rather than simply survive has helped transform his red-ball batting, an approach that delivered an unbeaten century for Australia A against India A in Puducherry.

The Victorian wicketkeeper-batter rescued Australia A from a precarious position on the opening day of the second unofficial Test, finishing unbeaten on 101 as the visitors reached 282 for seven after electing to bat.

Harper arrived with Australia A 104 for five and India A’s bowlers firmly on top, but the 29-year-old refused to retreat into survival mode.

Instead, he built an 84-run partnership with Liam Scott before combining with close friend Todd Murphy for another 89 runs that shifted momentum back towards the Australians.

“I was just trying to build a partnership with Scotty,” Harper said.

“I think in Shield cricket we got sort of used to the scoreboard that it might fall to 60 or five for 100, so it wasn't too different.

“It was nice to actually spend some time in the middle with Scotty. I've played against him and not played with him, so it was nice to build a partnership from there.”

Harper reached his fifth first-class century from 146 deliveries, using his feet confidently against India A’s spinners and finishing the day with seven fours and three sixes from 153 balls.

His approach against Tanush Kotian and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani was deliberate.

“Not letting the spinners settle over here was a plan going into the game,” Harper said.

“Any time I felt like they could pitch it up or I could use my feet to get to the pitch of the ball, I was going to try and put them under pressure and get them off their length.

“If you let them dictate, they'll dictate to you and in these conditions they'll probably find a way to get you out.”

That philosophy represents something of an evolution for Harper, who has played 68 first-class matches and admits his natural attacking instincts have increasingly become an asset rather than something to suppress in the longer format.

“We spent 50 or 60 Shield games trying to block and leave and we saw what happened there,” he said.

“So, having a slightly more aggressive approach and trying to put the bowler under a bit of pressure has certainly helped the last few years.”

Harper has now scored five first-class hundreds, and his latest came at a stage of his career where he feels increasingly comfortable with his own game.

While younger players such as Sam Konstas are establishing themselves in senior cricket in their early 20s, Harper said approaching 30 brings a different advantage.

“When you are 29 approaching 30, you feel like you have a pretty good understanding of your game,” he said.

“It's nice to get this opportunity when you feel like you know how you want to play and how you want to go about it.

“Then it just comes down to: can you execute under pressure?”

On Tuesday in Puducherry, Harper’s answer was emphatic.