Northampton
India A continued their dominant performance on Day 4 of the second unofficial Test against England Lions at the County Ground in Northampton. Resuming at 163/4, India A lost Dhruv Jurel early for 28, but Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy steadied the innings with aggressive strokeplay. Reddy, a key contender for the fast-bowling all-rounder role in the upcoming five-Test series against England, impressed with a composed knock before being bowled by George Hill.
Shardul Thakur, also in contention for a Test spot, displayed his power-hitting ability, smashing two consecutive sixes off Farhan Ahmed to keep the scoreboard ticking. Thakur remained unbeaten on 28 off 29 deliveries at the time of reporting. Tanush Kotian, who joined him after Reddy’s dismissal, contributed a quick 7 off 9 balls, including a six. India A ended the morning session at 261/6 in 58.2 overs, extending their lead to 282 runs. Earlier, Abhimanyu Easwaran had scored a brisk 80, and KL Rahul followed up his first-innings century with another fluent 51, further boosting his chances of making a return to the senior side.
In the bowling department, George Hill led the attack for the England Lions with figures of 2/38 from 13.2 overs, while Farhan Ahmed, though economical, went wicketless despite bowling 12 overs for 83 runs. With a healthy lead and their middle order firing, India A appears to be in a strong position to close out the match. The selectors will be watching closely as performances here could shape the final squad for the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy starting June 20 at Leeds.