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England Lions mounted a strong response after India A posted a formidable 557, riding on Karun Nair’s double century, on Day 2 of the four-day unofficial Test in Canterbury on Saturday. At stumps, the Lions were 237 for 2, trailing by 320 runs, with opener Tom Haines unbeaten on 103 and Max Holden on a fluent 64.Haines anchored the innings with a solid 147-ball knock, striking 11 boundaries, while Holden’s 61-ball effort included a six and eight fours. Their unbroken third-wicket partnership of 106 from just 118 deliveries steadied the Lions after early setbacks.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The England side had lost opener Ben McKinney (16), bowled by an impressive Anshul Kamboj, who bowled with discipline and swing. Emilio Gay then combined with Haines to add 109 runs for the second wicket before falling for 46, caught by Sarfaraz Khan off left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey.Who’s that IPL player?Earlier, India A resumed from an overnight 409/3 and extended their dominance, with Karun Nair converting his 186 into a commanding 204 off 281 balls (26 fours, 1 six). He reached the milestone with a boundary off Eddie Jack before being dismissed by Zaman Akhter, edging to keeper James Rew.
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Karun and Dhruv Jurel (94) stitched a 195-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Jurel fell early in the day. Nitish Kumar Reddy (7) departed soon after, and following Karun’s dismissal, the Lions’ bowlers wrapped up the innings with quick strikes.Despite India A’s massive total, England Lions showed resilience with the bat, setting the stage for an intriguing contest on Day 3.
Brief scores:India A: 557 all out in 125.1 overs (Karun Nair 204, Dhruv Jurel 94, Sarfaraz Khan 92; Josh Hull 3/72, Zaman Akhter 3/73)England Lions: 237/2 in 52 overs (Tom Haines 103 batting, Max Holden 64 batting; Anshul Kamboj 1/24).
