India A vs England Lions, Day 1: KL Rahul slams ton, Dhruv Jurel stars as Chris Woakes bags 3fer

KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel starred with bat, while Chris Woakes bagged three wickets.

Kl Rahul scored a century while Dhruv Jurel smashed his third consecutive half-century on Day 1 of the India A vs England Lions 2nd unofficial Test. The visitors ended the day at 319/7 after a late comeback from the England attack. Chris Woakes was the pick of the bowlers with a 3-fer, while George Hill also struck twice in Northampton.

KL Rahul smashes ton, Jurel continues dream run

KL Rahul confirmed his spot at the top of the order in a measured knock in Northampton. While Yashasvi Jaiswal took an attacking approach, Rahul was happy to play the waiting. Chris Woakes wrecked havoc with the new ball on a greenish wicket, trapping Jaiswal LBW. Abhimanyu Easwaran soon followed as India A slipped to 40/2.

Rahul was joined by long time Karnataka teammate Karun Nair. Nair, who scored a double century in the first game, looked assured as the duo stretched India A to 75/2 at Lunch. Post Lunch, the duo started to free their arms and pick up runs. The duo put on 86 for the 3rd wicket before Woakes once again broke the partnership. Karun was dismissed for 40, but might have done enough to make a place for himself in the XI for the IND vs ENG 1st Test.

Rahul reached his half-century and switched gears, with Dhruv Jurel for company. The duo counter-attacked and got the scoreboard moving, helping the visitors to 213/3. Post Tea, Jurel reached his half-century in 69 balls. It continued his good run in England, with this being his 3rd consecutive score of 50. Rahul too reached his century, batting like the experience opening batsman he has to be.

England Lions force collapse

However, England Lions staged a comeback and forced a collapse. Rahul and Jurel departed in quick succession with George Hill bowling a peach to get the latter. Shardul Thakur played a few shots but was out LBW to Farhan Ahmed. Nitish Reddy played a knock in his typical style, cashing in boundaries at regular intervals. Tom Haines cleaned him up for 34. Anshul Kamboj and Tanush Kotian played out the rest of the day to ensure India end on 319/7.

India A would be largely happy with the batting performance, but would know there were more runs to be scored on this track. Chris Woakes looked in good shape and form and will be key for England in the Test series. Josh Tongue, however struggled and will need to pull his socks up as the game progresses.