Northampton [UK], June 7 : In the second unofficial Test match against the England Lions, India A's innings ended quickly on the morning of Day 2. The visitors were only able to add 29 runs to their overnight score, ending at 348. The Lions were still behind by 290 runs at lunchtime, at 58/1 in Northampton on Saturday.
Josh Tongue, a pacer for the England Lions, caused the damage early on by hitting twice with the second new ball. Tongue's clean-up of Tanush Kotian, who had contributed 15 runs, was the day's first breakthrough. Anshul Kamboj, who managed just two runs, was also dismissed by Tongue.
Tongue again contributed to the departure of Tushar Deshpande, the innings' last wicket, who was run out for 11. With two wickets taken and a role in the third, Tongue had a good start for the day.
The England Lions responded by starting their innings carefully. Ben McKinney, the opener, was taken out by Anshul Kamboj for 12 after the host lost their first wicket at 29 but before lunch, Emilio Gay and Tom Haines made sure there were no more problems. As the Lions attempted to establish a strong base in their response to India A's first-innings score, Haines remained unbeaten at 28 and Gay was not out at 3.
On Day 1, KL Rahul roared back to his rich vein of form as he blazed his way to a sizzling century for India on the opening day of the second unofficial Test against England Lions on Friday.
After the first unofficial Test, India A tinkered with its playing XI. Rahul opened alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with captain Abhimanyu Easwaran dropping to the third spot in the batting order. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end with Jaiswal (17) and Easwaran (11) returning cheaply, courtesy of Chris Woakes, but Rahul remained firm on the other side.
Rahul's rollicking display was a blend of aggression and caution. He accelerated in patches but relied on his defensive prowess for most of his stay. He had to wait till the 56th over to arrive at the landmark moment.
The swashbuckler found the boundary rope to move to 99, sprinted for a single, and celebrated his special milestone by raising his bat in 151 deliveries. Rahul's exquisite touch serves as a major boost ahead of the five high-stakes Tests against England, beginning on June 20 at Headingley. He scored 116 off 168 balls, lacing with fifteen boundaries and a maximum.
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