With the India cricket team struggling, the India A side has taken it upon themselves to show the senior side how to beat England. Earlier today, the Abhimanyu Easwaran side clinched the India A vs England Lions series, 2-0. After drawing the first Test, the India A side won the next two matches comfortably to seal the series.
Fascinatingly, both the highest wicket-taker and the run-scorer of the India A vs England Lions series were from England, but the visitors still failed to win a match. A reason behind England’s dominance of the stats department was India A’s decision to chop and change their lineup.
A few of the members of the India A side also went on to play for the senior side in the ongoing India vs England Test series. Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Srikar Bharat, and Washington Sundar were all part of the squad but left to join the senior side.
India A vs England Lions Highlights: Shams Mulani, Akash Deep, and Sai Sudharsan stand apart
Sai Sudharsan was among India A’s best batters in the India A vs England Lions series. The 22-year-old ended just as the fifth-highest run scorer, with 221 at 55.25 in 4 innings. Another thing that impressed me was Sudharshan’s compact technique and temperament, as he outscored fellow opener and skipper Easwaran.
Akash Deep and Shams Mulani were the standouts for India A in the bowling department. Akash ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series with 13 wickets at 18 and two four-wicket hauls in three matches. Meanwhile, Mulani played just a single match and still ended as the sixth-highest wicket-taker (7 wickets).
Player | Runs | Wickets | 50s | 100s | 4-W | 5-W |
Sai Sudharsan | 221 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Akash Deep | 41 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Shams Mulani | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |