Worcester: India A batsmen’s vulnerability against the red ball in foreign conditions was exposed as England Lions handed the visitors a 254-run defeat in the one-off unofficial Test on day four here, Thursday.
India A, who were reeling at 11 for three at stumps on day three while chasing an improbable 421-run target, did not put up much of a fight even in the second innings, folding up for 167 in 44 overs. They had struggled to 197 all out in their first essay after Lions made 423.
The sole silver lining for India A was that Ajinkya Rahane (49 & 48) and rookie Risabh Pant (58 & 61) got to spend some valuable time in the middle ahead of the five-Test series against England, beginning in Birmingham August 1.
Pant, who has earned his maiden Test call-up, struck a second successive half centuries to give the Indian team management a selection headache ahead of the first match, with Dinesh Karthik also in the squad. However, opener Murali Vijay and Karun Nair, also in the squad, failed measurably.
Brief scores:
England Lions 423 & 193/5 decl beat India A 197 & 167 (Rishabh Pant 61, Ajinkya Rahane 48; Sam Curran 2/17) by 253 runs.