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).
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