New Delhi: KL Rahul has an opportunity to bolster his top-order credentials for the England series when he pads up for India A in their second and final unofficial Test in Northampton from Friday.
Rahul joined the India A team before players of the main Test squad to acclimatise to the conditions for the five-match Test series that begins on June 20 and will be one of the senior-most players in action against England Lions.
The rest of the players, including new captain Shubman Gill, will leave for England on Friday from Mumbai.
Rahul averages 33.57 in 58 Tests but has scored two centuries in England and in the absence of the retired stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, is the most experienced batter in the team.
Gill and Sai Sudharsan’s Indian Premier League commitments prevented them from playing in the second and final warm-up game and they will have only intra-squad games to get used to the conditions before the first Test in Leeds.
A total of six players who are in the Test squad participated in the drawn first game against England Lions. Seamer Akash Deep will one of the new players to play in the second game.
In the first tune-up game, top-order batters Yashavi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair scored substantial runs, which could pave the way for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan to be used as middle order in the second game.
Nair scored a double century to bolster his chances of inclusion in the playing XI for the first Test while Shardul Thakur battles with Nitish Reddy for the seam bowling all-rounder’s slot.
For England Lions, pacers Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes will look to book their sports in England’s team in the absence of injured Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and the doubdtful Gus Atkinson.
The squads
India A squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey.
England Lions squad: James Rew (capt & wk), Farhan Ahmed, Jordan Cox, Rocky Flintoff, Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, George Hill, Max Holden, Ben McKinney, Eddie Jack, Ajeet Singh Dale, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
Match begins at 3.30 IST.
KL Rahul averages 33.57 in 58 Tests but has scored two centuries in England and in the absence of the retired stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, is the most experienced batter in the team. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
