logo
Updated: May 31, 2025 01:48 IST Canterbury [UK], May 31 (ANI): Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered

Updated: May 31, 2025 01:48 IST Canterbury [UK], May 31 (ANI): Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered

Times of Oman3 days ago

Canterbury: Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered the England Lions' backbone with his scorching display with the bat. At the same time, Dhruv Jurel pushed his case for a spot in India's playing XI for the upcoming five Tests in England, scheduled to begin on June 20.
At the end of the opening day of the first unofficial Test between India A and England Lions, the touring party piled up 409/3 on the board, with Nair and Jurel unbeaten with scores of 186(246) and 82(104), respectively.
India A dominated the entire opening day to turn the contest into a lopsided affair, courtesy of Nair's rip-roaring display that lasted most of the first session and the remainder of the day. He upped the ante after India A lost its opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran early in the opening day.
The final session reflected Nair and Jurel's sheer dominance. They nullified the spin and pace traps laid out by the hosts to derail their progress. India A lost Sarfaraz Ahmed on 92 and the 181-run partnership for the third wicket in the first over after the tea break; Jurel joined Nair at the crease and adopted a swift approach to keep the scoreboard ticking.
With Jurel firing all cylinders and Nair increasing his tempo, the duo added 182 runs to stamp India's authority in the final session. The duo lashed out at any loose delivery that landed in their arc. Nair sprinted for a single, bringing up his 150 in the 73rd over off Rehan Ahmed.
In the 80th over, Jurel targeted the deep backward point to find the boundary rope and lift his bat for a valiant half-century. Jurel picked up the pace from that point and dealt with boundaries to lift India to a fighting total and end the day with an unbeaten 177-run partnership.
Before Jurel and Nair enchanted the spectators with their sizzling display on Canterbury's green strip, Sarfaraz and Nair took the mantle of ensuring India remained unscathed in the second innings. After lunch, they batted their hearts out and made England Lions toil for wickets.
While in the opening session, after being put to bat, skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and the young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal came out to open with hopes of getting valuable game time before the five high-stakes fixtures between the two modern-day giants.
Easwaran, a household name in India's domestic circuit and with a plethora of experience in the red-ball format, couldn't conjure up a consequential performance. He oozed confidence, took his time to open his account, and left the deliveries that travelled in the corridor of uncertainty but got undone by a single delivery and returned cheaply on 8(17).
With picture-perfect strokes, the 29-year-old found the boundary rope twice but got pinned in front of the stumps by Josh Hull. On the other hand, Jaiswal dazzled on the crease with a blend of aggression and composure.
He switched his tempo according to the demands of the delivery and garnered three boundaries and a towering maximum. With runs flowing from his bat with a touch of elegance, Jaiswal's downfall came down to his aggressive mindset.
The 23-year-old switched to white ball mode, took a wild swing at Eddie Jack's delivery and gave away an edge to England Lions captain and wicketkeeper James Rew, who confirmed his return ticket on 24(55).

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India A vs England Lions Day 1: Nair's redemption arc to continue on 186*, Jurel dazzles with rollicking 82*
India A vs England Lions Day 1: Nair's redemption arc to continue on 186*, Jurel dazzles with rollicking 82*

Times of Oman

time3 days ago

  • Times of Oman

India A vs England Lions Day 1: Nair's redemption arc to continue on 186*, Jurel dazzles with rollicking 82*

Canterbury: Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered the England Lions' backbone with his scorching display with the bat. At the same time, Dhruv Jurel pushed his case for a spot in India's playing XI for the upcoming five Tests in England, scheduled to begin on June 20. At the end of the opening day of the first unofficial Test between India A and England Lions, the touring party piled up 409/3 on the board, with Nair and Jurel unbeaten with scores of 186(246) and 82(104), respectively. India A dominated the entire opening day to turn the contest into a lopsided affair, courtesy of Nair's rip-roaring display that lasted most of the first session and the remainder of the day. He upped the ante after India A lost its opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran early in the opening day. The final session reflected Nair and Jurel's sheer dominance. They nullified the spin and pace traps laid out by the hosts to derail their progress. India A lost Sarfaraz Ahmed on 92 and the 181-run partnership for the third wicket in the first over after the tea break; Jurel joined Nair at the crease and adopted a swift approach to keep the scoreboard ticking. With Jurel firing all cylinders and Nair increasing his tempo, the duo added 182 runs to stamp India's authority in the final session. The duo lashed out at any loose delivery that landed in their arc. Nair sprinted for a single, bringing up his 150 in the 73rd over off Rehan Ahmed. In the 80th over, Jurel targeted the deep backward point to find the boundary rope and lift his bat for a valiant half-century. Jurel picked up the pace from that point and dealt with boundaries to lift India to a fighting total and end the day with an unbeaten 177-run partnership. Before Jurel and Nair enchanted the spectators with their sizzling display on Canterbury's green strip, Sarfaraz and Nair took the mantle of ensuring India remained unscathed in the second innings. After lunch, they batted their hearts out and made England Lions toil for wickets. While in the opening session, after being put to bat, skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and the young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal came out to open with hopes of getting valuable game time before the five high-stakes fixtures between the two modern-day giants. Easwaran, a household name in India's domestic circuit and with a plethora of experience in the red-ball format, couldn't conjure up a consequential performance. He oozed confidence, took his time to open his account, and left the deliveries that travelled in the corridor of uncertainty but got undone by a single delivery and returned cheaply on 8(17). With picture-perfect strokes, the 29-year-old found the boundary rope twice but got pinned in front of the stumps by Josh Hull. On the other hand, Jaiswal dazzled on the crease with a blend of aggression and composure. He switched his tempo according to the demands of the delivery and garnered three boundaries and a towering maximum. With runs flowing from his bat with a touch of elegance, Jaiswal's downfall came down to his aggressive mindset. The 23-year-old switched to white ball mode, took a wild swing at Eddie Jack's delivery and gave away an edge to England Lions captain and wicketkeeper James Rew, who confirmed his return ticket on 24(55).

Updated: May 31, 2025 01:48 IST Canterbury [UK], May 31 (ANI): Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered
Updated: May 31, 2025 01:48 IST Canterbury [UK], May 31 (ANI): Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered

Times of Oman

time3 days ago

  • Times of Oman

Updated: May 31, 2025 01:48 IST Canterbury [UK], May 31 (ANI): Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered

Canterbury: Karun Nair's redemption arc is bound to continue on Day 2 after he shattered the England Lions' backbone with his scorching display with the bat. At the same time, Dhruv Jurel pushed his case for a spot in India's playing XI for the upcoming five Tests in England, scheduled to begin on June 20. At the end of the opening day of the first unofficial Test between India A and England Lions, the touring party piled up 409/3 on the board, with Nair and Jurel unbeaten with scores of 186(246) and 82(104), respectively. India A dominated the entire opening day to turn the contest into a lopsided affair, courtesy of Nair's rip-roaring display that lasted most of the first session and the remainder of the day. He upped the ante after India A lost its opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran early in the opening day. The final session reflected Nair and Jurel's sheer dominance. They nullified the spin and pace traps laid out by the hosts to derail their progress. India A lost Sarfaraz Ahmed on 92 and the 181-run partnership for the third wicket in the first over after the tea break; Jurel joined Nair at the crease and adopted a swift approach to keep the scoreboard ticking. With Jurel firing all cylinders and Nair increasing his tempo, the duo added 182 runs to stamp India's authority in the final session. The duo lashed out at any loose delivery that landed in their arc. Nair sprinted for a single, bringing up his 150 in the 73rd over off Rehan Ahmed. In the 80th over, Jurel targeted the deep backward point to find the boundary rope and lift his bat for a valiant half-century. Jurel picked up the pace from that point and dealt with boundaries to lift India to a fighting total and end the day with an unbeaten 177-run partnership. Before Jurel and Nair enchanted the spectators with their sizzling display on Canterbury's green strip, Sarfaraz and Nair took the mantle of ensuring India remained unscathed in the second innings. After lunch, they batted their hearts out and made England Lions toil for wickets. While in the opening session, after being put to bat, skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and the young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal came out to open with hopes of getting valuable game time before the five high-stakes fixtures between the two modern-day giants. Easwaran, a household name in India's domestic circuit and with a plethora of experience in the red-ball format, couldn't conjure up a consequential performance. He oozed confidence, took his time to open his account, and left the deliveries that travelled in the corridor of uncertainty but got undone by a single delivery and returned cheaply on 8(17). With picture-perfect strokes, the 29-year-old found the boundary rope twice but got pinned in front of the stumps by Josh Hull. On the other hand, Jaiswal dazzled on the crease with a blend of aggression and composure. He switched his tempo according to the demands of the delivery and garnered three boundaries and a towering maximum. With runs flowing from his bat with a touch of elegance, Jaiswal's downfall came down to his aggressive mindset. The 23-year-old switched to white ball mode, took a wild swing at Eddie Jack's delivery and gave away an edge to England Lions captain and wicketkeeper James Rew, who confirmed his return ticket on 24(55).

Harry Brook off to flying start as England dominate West Indies in Birmingham
Harry Brook off to flying start as England dominate West Indies in Birmingham

Times of Oman

time4 days ago

  • Times of Oman

Harry Brook off to flying start as England dominate West Indies in Birmingham

Birmingham: Newly appointed England white-ball captain Harry Brook has urged his team to move on from the past and concentrate on putting in strong performances, much like the commanding display they delivered against the West Indies in Birmingham on Thursday, as per the official website of ICC. England got their home summer off to an excellent start at Edgbaston as they cruised to an impressive 238-run triumph over the Caribbean side in what was Brook's first game in charge as white-ball skipper. While tougher tests will await England before the next ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2027, the showing against the West Indies was much improved from what the side has shown in recent times. England failed to make it out of the group stages of the most recent 50-over World Cup in India and went winless at the ICC Champions Trophy at the start of this year, while the team haven't even won a bilateral ODI series since they snuck past Ireland 1-0 in September 2023. Brook has instilled new life into England's white-ball outfit since he took the captaincy reins from long-time skipper Jos Buttler and thinks the side has plenty to look forward to. "It's a new era," Brook said after the victory over the West Indies, as quoted from the official website of the ICC. "Like I've said so many times, we're trying to forget about the past, only focus on what's ahead of us, and take one game at a time. We've done pretty well today, so we can take that confidence going forward," he added. "(It's a) very good start. To get 400 after being put in and bowl them out for 162 was a pretty exceptional start from the boys. Hopefully, we can top that," he said. While none of England's batters managed to score a hundred against the West Indies, they had four players who contributed a half-century, with Jacob Bethell's 82 the highlight in a Player of the Match performance. Brook hailed the efforts of England's top-order, with Ben Duckett (60), Joe Root (57) and new opener Jamie Smith (37) all looking solid against the West Indies' pace attack. "The boys up top started beautifully and set the template for how we wanted to play and how we want to play for the rest of the series," Brook said. "The tempo we batted with throughout the innings was pretty much spot on. We have a lot of depth in our batting, which gave the opportunity to Beth (Bethell) and (Will) Jacks to go out there and do what they did," he noted. "I think that's the way everyone should play in ODI cricket - you've got a lot longer than you think. I got out with 20 overs to go and I felt like I was sat watching for about three hours. You can give yourself 10, 15 or 20 balls to get in and then you can soon catch up," he said. "I think he (Bethell) was on about 40 from 40 balls (38 off 39) and he ended up striking at 140 or 150. That's the type of game it is, and you can catch up very quickly," he added. The West Indies showed glimpses of their talents at times, with Roston Chase claiming a pair of superb catches during England's innings - but skipper Shai Hope was left to rue some sloppy bowling at the death, which allowed the hosts to post 400 and leave the visitors with an extremely difficult run chase. "We didn't make the early inroads we were after. If you don't you will always find yourself playing catch up," Hope said. "We pulled the game back quite nicely. We let it slip at the end. We have some work and assessing to do," he added. The second match of the series is in Cardiff on Sunday, with the final contest scheduled for The Oval in London on Tuesday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store