CANBERRA: Usman Khawaja and Phillip Hughes responded to their dumping from the Australian Test squad with a century opening stand as the Chairman's XI's tour match against India petered out into a draw Wednesday.
Khawaja (56 not out) and Hughes (42 not out) put on 100 for the first wicket chasing 145 when both captains agreed to call the match off ahead of India's opening Test against Australia starting in Melbourne next Monday.
Khawaja and Hughes were left out of a 13-man Australian squad announced on Wednesday for the MCG Test and took out their frustrations on the Indian bowlers.
There were two generous declarations on the third and final day with a result made meaningless as India sought to wrap up their preparations for the Boxing Day Test.
Skipper David Warner declared the Chairman's XI first innings at the overnight total of 215 for seven, 54 runs adrift of India's first innings 269.
Virender Sehwag again fell cheaply following his 12 in the first innings with just eight in his second turn for the tourists.
Sehwag only lasted eight balls before he edged paceman Peter George to first slip. It was the second time George had snared Sehwag's prized wicket in the match.
Ajinkya Rahane was the only other wicket to fall, with the batsman caught behind off Josh Lalor for a duck as India declared at 90 for two at lunch.
Test opener Gautam Gambhir was left unbeaten on 42 off 98 balls with Rohit Sharma not out 38.
Only 30 overs were bowled in the Chairman's XI second innings with Test paceman Ishant Sharma granted permission to bowl on the final day despite not being included in India's original 13-man squad.
Sharma, troubled by an ankle injury in the tourists' opening two-day game last week, finished with 0-18 from four overs.
While the match largely served as preparation for India ahead of the first Test it also provided Chairman's XI opener Ed Cowan with his launching pad into the Australian squad after his 109 on Tuesday's second day.
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