India A concluded the second unofficial Test against England Lions in Northampton on a positive note, with the game ending in a draw. On the fourth day, India A scored 254 runs for just three wickets, led by a brilliant 149-run partnership between Tanush Kotian (90*) and Anshul Kamboj (51*) for the eighth wicket.
As play began on the final day, Nitish Reddy and Dhruv Jurel were at the crease. Jurel was in good touch early, hitting two boundaries off Chris Woakes. Reddy also settled in gradually, contributing a boundary to third man. Despite a few early struggles from Nitish, both players remained solid in defence. However, Jurel was dismissed by Eddie Jack for 28, breaking the budding partnership.
Shardul Thakur quickly made an impact, hitting two early boundaries off Jack. Nitish then found his rhythm, hitting leg-spinner Farhan Ahmed for a couple of sixes. But the wickets kept falling, with Nitish bowled for 42 by George Hill and Thakur dismissed for 34, also by Hill, just before Lunch.
Despite these setbacks, the partnership between Kotian and Kamboj provided some much-needed stability. Kotian opened his account with a six off Farhan, and the pair began to frustrate the England Lions bowlers. Kotian was in excellent touch, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Farhan, while Kamboj did the same to Hill. Kotian brought up his 50 off just 60 balls, continuing to attack and take the game away from the hosts.
The two batters dominated the post-Lunch session, with runs flowing regularly. Kotian, in particular, was aggressive, while Kamboj moved closer to a half-century, hitting a six off Tom Haines. India passed 400 runs, and Kamboj reached his 50 just before Tea. India A then declared on 417/7.
In the post-Tea session, Deshpande claimed the wicket of in-form Tom Haines, who was caught behind by Nitish Reddy. Kamboj continued his impressive performance, picking up two wickets in quick succession, including a stunning run-out of Jordan Cox for a duck. Ben McKinney remained unbeaten on 16 as the match ended in a draw.
Brief Scores:
- India A: 348 & 417/7 declared (Tanush Kotian 90*, Abhimanyu Easwaran 80, KL Rahul 51; George Hill 3-64)
- England Lions: 327 & 32/3 (Ben McKinney 16*, Anshul Kamboj 2-6, Tushar Deshpande 1-13)
