Batters Shine on Day 3 of Unofficial Test Between India A and England Lions
Day 3 Highlights: Batters Dominate
On Day 3 of the unofficial first Test at Canterbury, the batters continued to take charge as India A faced off against the England Lions. A staggering 17 wickets fell amidst a remarkable total of over 1084 runs, showcasing a batting-friendly pitch. After a balanced Day 2, the Lions resumed their innings at 2 wickets down, further complicating matters for India A.
The pitch provided minimal assistance to bowlers, allowing the Lions to steadily accumulate runs against India A's bowling attack. Fielding errors persisted, with Dhruv Jurel dropping another straightforward catch, this time off Max Holden's bat while Harshit Rana was bowling. However, Jurel soon found redemption as Holden was dismissed for 101.
Karun Nair following up his double century with the wicket of centurion Dan Mousley pic.twitter.com/Z9ctcvKtML
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Mukesh Kumar, who had a tough outing the previous day, bounced back with three quick wickets, dismissing Holden, James Rew, and Rehan Ahmed. This sudden collapse saw the England Lions slip from a comfortable 312/2 to 326/5, giving India A a glimmer of hope before lunch.
The first session was relatively uneventful, with India A struggling to take wickets in the second session. Tom Haines reached 167, while Dan Mousley was closing in on his fifty. The pitch continued to offer no help to the bowlers, and the pressure seemed to be lacking. Eventually, Shardul Thakur managed to dismiss Haines for 171, but Mousley continued to build his innings, with Akhter also contributing.
Harsh Dubey had a costly outing, conceding runs at an average of 5.20 per over over his 25 overs. Despite bowling the most overs, he couldn't maintain tight control. Harshit Rana showed improved discipline compared to the previous day, although a dropped catch impacted his figures. Nitish Kumar Reddy struggled with both line and control.
Karun Nair provided some relief for India A by dismissing Mousley for 113 just before the end of the day. The Lions concluded the day trailing by 30 runs. With the flat pitch conditions, a draw seems to be the most probable outcome as Day 4 approaches.