IND-A Vs ENG Lions: Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan Pushes India-A To 86/2 At Lunch On Day 1
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Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan keep India A in the hunt after both the opening batters fall cheaply before lunch in Day 1 of the unofficial Test against the England Lions.
India A's Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan put up a decent fight until lunch was called on the opening day of the unofficial Test against the England Lions in Canterbury on Friday.
Both Karun and Sarfaraz looked fairly comfortable out in the middle after the Lions' bowlers managed to get the A-skipper, Abhimanyu Easwaran, out fairly cheaply. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, started slowly but looked to find his groove but he also managed to get out in a rather disappointing manner.
The left-hander was quite at ease against the English bowlers for a large part of his over an hour-long stay, but chose to play an expansive drive off pacer Eddie Jack, only to be caught behind by skipper James Rew.
However, Karun, who played some delightful drives through the cover, and Sarfaraz negated the Lions' bowlers effectively during their unbroken 35-run alliance for the third wicket. Since the start of the second session, the two are marching on towards a fifty-run stand.
A strong performance from Sarfaraz could certainly get him to push for a spot in the Indian squad if the batters are not able to deliver according to the expected levels. He was snubbed from the senior squad despite being in the side for their previous tour of Australia.
The Mumbai batter will have a lot to prove once again and will look to push himself to get a call-up for the side. Meanwhile, Karun Nair will also look to put up an impressive showing in hopes of getting a starting spot in India's Playing XI for the England series as well. After making his return to the senior side in 2017, he has worked his way back to the Indian test team, where he hopes to make a big name for himself.
Brief scores: India A: 86/2 in 27 overs (Karun Nair 26 batting, Sarfaraz Khan 17 batting).
(with PTI Inputs)
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