India A strengthened their position against England Lions on the third day of the second unofficial Test in Northampton, reaching 163 for four in their second innings to extend their overall lead to 184 runs on Sunday. After posting 348 in their first innings, India A bowled out the England Lions for 327, earning a slender but crucial 21-run lead. Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing 4 for 70 in a fiery 19-over spell. Tushar Deshpande and Anshul Kamboj chipped in with two wickets each, while Tanush Kotian and Nitish Reddy claimed one apiece. In the second innings, KL Rahul followed up his first-innings century with a fluent 51 off 64 balls, showcasing his class once again before being dismissed by Eddie Jack. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran anchored the innings with a composed 80 from 92 deliveries, finding form after a first-innings duck. India A suffered an early blow when Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for just 5 by George Hill. Karun Nair added 15 before falling to Chris Woakes, who also removed Easwaran to keep England in the hunt.
At stumps, Dhruv Jurel (6*) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1*) were at the crease, with India A looking to build a lead beyond 300 to set up a potential victory push. For the hosts, Emilio Gay top-scored with 71 in the first innings, while Tom Haines made 54 and Jordan Cox added 45. Josh Tongue’s late unbeaten 36 ensured England Lions got close to India A’s first innings total. The match summary reads: India A – 348 & 163/4 in 33 overs; England Lions – 327 all out in 89 overs.
