India A vs England Lions, 2nd 'Test': Indians look to dominate yet again

The second unofficial Test between India A and England Lions at Mysuru may be pretty balanced given the nature of the pitch.

Coach Rahul Dravid and India A skipper K.L. Rahul in a serious discussion during the practice session at the SNR Wadeyar ground in Mysuru on Tuesday.

The bowlers were expected to call the shots but the batsmen shone in the first `Test’ between India A and England Lions at Wayanad a couple of days ago. But the second one, which begins at the SNR Wadeyar grounds in Mysuru on Wednesday, may be pretty balanced given the nature of the pitch.

The first hour will be about playing with patience as the pitch is expected to assist the faster bowlers, but the batsmen could take upper hand thereafter.

The India A stars had displayed their ability in building strong partnerships in the first 'Test'. K.L. Rahul, who will captain the side this time, came up with a fine 89 which set the ball rolling in favour of the team. Priyank Panchal hammered a double hundred and K.S. Bharat made an equally pleasing 142.

RELATED | As it happened: Irani Cup - Rest of India folds for 330

Priyank is eagerly looking forward to this match. “I played against Australia A in Bengaluru and there I spoke to Rahul (Dravid) sir and gained in confidence,” he said.

“I am just trying to do my best. It’s all about playing as a team and that matters.” he added.

The England Lions are expected to roar as much. Ollie Pope, Sam Hain. Ben Duckett and William Jacks have played their part as much for the team. But the bowlers need to fire equally to make it an even contest.

SURPRISE VISITOR! : Former India Speedster Javgal Srinath watching all the action during the practice session at the SNR Wadeyar ground in Mysuru.

 

Lions’ skipper Sam Billings said he has been out of the four-day format for a while. “Any tournament, I think you look at the opportunities around it and runs can translate into any format. For me, playing franchisee cricket has been a huge opportunity to improve my four-day cricket.”

“The best players are able to do that regularly and consistently. Four-day cricket teaches you base techniques which can be used in any format.”

The teams: India A: K.L. Rahul (Capt), A. Easwaran, Priyank Panchal, Ankit Bawne, Karun Nair, Ricky Bhui, Siddhesh Lad, K.S. Bharat (wk), Shabhaz Nadeem, Jalaj Saxena, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini & Varun Aaron. England A: Thomas Bailey, Dominic Bess, Sam Billings. Danny Briggs, Matthew Carter, Zachariah Chappel, Alex Davies, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Sam Hain, Max Holden, William Jacks, Jamie Overton, Oliver Pope, James Potter & Steven Mullaney.