The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That brings us to the end of our coverage of this series. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did bringing it to you. This is the duo of Darpan Tikiya and Pradeep signing off on the behalf of the entire Sportskeeda team. Sayonara!
5:26 PM local time, 9:56 PM IST: Handshakes all around. That will be the end of this series. The match ends in a draw and so does the series.
Match Drawn. Series ends with the scoreline reading 0-0.
On the face of it, it might look like a tame, non-consequential draw. But the essence lies in the intricacies that are found when you zoom in. Officially, these two matches that India A played were not supposed to be "practice matches". But in the countless comments we received during our coverage of it, many addressed them so. After all, that is how fans looked at them. The pre-cursor to the marquee series starting in a 11 days time.
From an Indian perspective, the spotlight was immediately on the players who are also named for the upcoming Anderson-Tendulkar trophy and some of them have come out iridescent. Karun Nair's double century at Canterbury was a sign that his hunger to score big runs is alive, while Yashasvi Jaiswal's positive approach told us that he isn't overawed by the hype on his first trip here.
While the first match was played on a fairly benign surface, this one at Northampton gave us a taste of typical English conditions. India were put into bat under an overcast sky on a wicket that had a stark green tinge. Chris Woakes, a predator who thrives in this habitat, was let lose and he tested the prowess of India's top order. Nair and Jaiswal, in particular, looked sturdy before getting the short end of some harsh umpiring decisions. But, perhaps the biggest plus was the manner in which KL Rahul played his part. The scoreboard will tell you that he scored a hundred in the first innings and a fifty in the second. However, what stood out was his approach — unhurried, measured, but by no means subdued. He played close to the body more often, but was not afraid to free his arms when a loosener came his way. He was ready to bat time and reminded us all of the 2021 tour, where he had some successful outings using the same methodology.
Though, the performance of the all-rounders — Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy — left a bit to be desired. Both had impressive patches but were not consistent enough. Dhruv Jurel looked solid with the bat in hand, but more importantly, very secured with the gloves. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran had a mixed bag with poor scores in the first innings of both the matches but fifties in the second both times.
Among the players who do not feature in the senior team's squad, Sarfraz Khan's 90-odd at Canterbury,Tanush Kotian's 90* and some tight bowling and Anshul Kamboj's ability to bowl "jaffa's" stood out.
For the Lions', Chris Woakes' stellar opening spell in the first innings here, Tom Haines' daddy hundred at Canterbury, Emilio Gay's solid application throughout the series, Max Holden's bubbly century in the first match and Eddie Jacks' wholehearted all-round performance stood out.
Yash: "India A could have been led by KL Rahul as he is an experienced player and has captained India in few tests....." He did not play both matches, Yash. Also his availability was not confirmed for this one initially
11.0
10.6 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, back of a length in the channel, tight lines from Kamboj. McKinney presses and firmly defends.
10.5 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, length delivery, angled into the stumps. McKinney right behind it and does well to keep it out.
10.4 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, fraction full, angled into middle and leg. McKinney clipped it to short mid-wicket for no run.
10.3 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, FOUR! Length delivery, angled into the pads. McKinney clipped it nicely away, puts good timing on it, runs away and picks out the ropes at deep square-leg.
10.2 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, back of a length on fifth stump, McKinney let's it come to him and blunts it back to the ground on the off-side.
10.2 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, NO-BALL! Back of a length, angled into middle and leg. McKinney turned it to square-leg for no run. Kamboj oversteps again, another no-ball has been signaled.
10.1 Anshul Kamboj to Ben McKinney, back of a length on off-stump, McKinney stood tall and keeps it out.
10.0
9.6 Tanush Kotian to James Rew, OH! Loopy length delivery outside the off-stump, Rew leans to drive, but that beats the outside edge to the keeper.
9.5 Tanush Kotian to James Rew, quicker and flatter, drifts it into off-stump. Rew prods forward and defends it into the on-side.
9.4 Tanush Kotian to James Rew, angled the length delivery on the pads, Rew nudged it away, but finds short mid-wicket.
9.3 Tanush Kotian to Ben McKinney, slants the length delivery on middle and leg. McKinney lunges and clipped it past square-leg for one.
9.2 Tanush Kotian to Ben McKinney, drags it short, angled into leg-stump. McKinney goes back and turned it into the on-side for no run.
9.1 Tanush Kotian to Ben McKinney, spears the length delivery on off-stump, McKinney comes forward and smothers.
The over started with Kamboj inducing the outside edge of Gay's bat and has ended with him getting skipper Rew to play a false shot. In between, he rattled Cox's stumps too. Top stuff from the right arm pacer.
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