Two draws concluded the India A vs England Lions unofficial Test series, but there was plenty to learn from the assignment. The likes of KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, etc., sent clear selection signals, but others like Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t quite leave the impression they would’ve wanted to. In the bowling unit, India seemed to have left quite a lot to ponder on, with the likes of Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy producing an insipid display. Anshul Kamboj, however, impressed many with his performances.
KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair, Anshul Kamboj, etc. were among the most impressive players during the India A vs England Lions 2-match unofficial Test series.
The Hits:
Anshul Kamboj: He was arguably the find of the series for India from the bowling point of view. He was the most disciplined bowler in the two matches, giving away runs at 3.04 per over, and also scored a half-century. He was also the joint top-wicket taker in the series with 5 scalps to his name.
Khaleel Ahmed: The left-arm pacer played just one match in the serie,s but it was enough for him to trouble the English batters. In that match, Khaleel picked up 4 wickets. He is someone who can break into the senior Indian team during the 5-match series.
KL Rahul: The batter was arguably the most impressive in the series, scoring 167 runs in just two innings. He will undoubtedly be key to Team India’s pursuit of success against England on the tour.
Karun Nair: Back in the Indian team, Nair proved exactly why he is so highly rated. The batter struck a double ton in the first match, sending a fiery message of selection to head coach Gautam Gambhir and his team. He was the top-scoring batter for India A in the series, with 259 runs.
Dhruv Jurel: He finished the series with three fifties to his name, aggregating a total of 227 runs. Though Rishabh Pant is the No. 1 choice wicket-keeper batter in the team, it would be hard for the management to leave Jurel on the bench.
Sarfaraz Khan: The domestic giant isn’t a part of the senior team on the tour, and he made sure to make the India A outing count. He batted just once on the tour, scoring 92 runs.
The Flops:
Shardul Thakur: The pacer had a really poor outing that saw him fetch just 2 wickets in two matches. With the bat, Shardul couldn’t create an impact either, scoring 80 runs from three innings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: After an inspiring IPL season for the Rajasthan Royals, much more was expected from the left-handed opening batter. He finished the two matches with just 110 runs to his name and a solitary fifty. Jaiswal would be expected to forget the two matches and bounce back quickly for the senior team.
The Can Do Betters:
Abhimanyu Easwaran: The India A captain would’ve wanted to do better on the tour but he could only aggregate 167 runs in 4 innings. Though he scored two half-centuries, the fact that it was an extremely batting-friendly surface does leave a feeling of unfulfilled potential.
