India A began the second day of the third unofficial ‘Test’ against England Lions behind in the game, and ended it with their noses in front.
They appreciated the fast bowlers. It was Quick who did the damage to the England Lions on opening day. Matthew Potts and Brydon Kearse shared all 10 wickets before another Durham player, Alex Lees, took nine wickets to reduce the gap to under 100.
Leeds added just 16 runs to their overnight tally of 48, but it was still more than any other England Lions batsman had on the second day as India fought back. After Olly Price was fixed lbw for 31, the wickets declined steadily, with all but two failing. Akash Deep and Yash Dayal were the two stars who took 7 wickets between them. Arshdeep Singh took charge of the other pace wicket while left-arm spinner Shams Mulani rounded out the match with the last two wickets.
England Lions had lost the chance to record a total win by losing 86 runs for their last nine wickets. Instead, the lead was only seven runs, and the game was effectively shortened to a one-inning shootout.
The match was balanced at the stumps, with Sai Sudarshan taking a half-century to build the lead, but James Coles’ left-arm spin took away three wickets. Abhimanyu Easwaran was brought back to Price for 22 points, Devdutt Padikkal was bowled for 21 points and Tilak Varma fell on the last ball of the day, also behind, scoring 46 points.
India A are leading by 141 runs with 7 wickets in hand. Either outcome is likely, but the hosts just need to avoid defeat to ensure a series win. After dominating the first three days, the Lions defended the first ‘Test’ with a heroic rearguard, and won the second by an innings. All three matches will be played in Ahmedabad.
