After four days of intense scoring at the St. Lawrence Ground, the England Lions and India A played their first unofficial Test match, ending in a tie. Both clubs’ batters put on a number of standout performances during the game.
With the assistance of Karun Nair, who hit 204 off 281 deliveries, including 26 fours and a six, India A, batting first, amassed a massive 557 runs. Both Dhruv Jurel (94), who missed out on century, and Sarfaraz Khan (92) made significant contributions to his support.
On Day 2 of the match at Canterbury, the England Lions’ bowling assault managed to bundle the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led team for a respectable score, with Josh Hull and Zaman Akhter taking three wickets apiece.
The England Lions responded with a strong 587 to take a narrow 30-run advantage.
Tom Haines, who opened with a score of 171, came very close to reaching his double century. The Indian pacers were hammered for nearly two days by the hundreds scored by Max Holden (101) and Dan Mousley (113).
Shardul Thakur also contributed a couple of wickets, while Mukesh Kumar took three for India A. Centurion Mousley lost to part-timer Karun Nair, who broke the visitors’ bonds. On his India A debut, Harsh Dubey, the team’s only specialist spinner, also took his first wicket.
Despite being behind by 30, the visitors had a strong start to the second inning. Yashasvi Jaiswal (64) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (68), the openers, put together a strong 123-run partnership. After both captains informed the umpires of their decisions and shook hands, Dhruv Jurel (53)* and Nitish Kumar Reddy (52)* went on to form an undefeated 91-run partnership and put India A in a respectable position before the game concluded in a draw.
The England Lions and India A will play their second unofficial Test match at Northampton from June 6 to June 9. Prior to India’s five-match Test series against England, which begins on June 20, India A will also play a warm-up match against the main India side in Beckenham starting on June 13.
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