Canterbury mein India A ki waat lag gayi, jab Haines, Mousley aur Holden ne balle se tabahi machayi. Mukesh Kumar ne teesre din teen wicket jhatke, par baaki bowlers ki lag gayi.
England Lions ka Balla Bolo
Teesre din England Lions ne 237/2 se shuruat ki, Tom Haines (103*) aur Max Holden (64*) kamaal dikhaye. Dono ne milke India A ke bowlers ki band bajayi, pehle ghante mein 46 run thok diye bina wicket gawaye. Haines, jo Sussex ka opener hai aur is season 655 run maar chuka hai, pura solid khela. Holden ne toh 99 ball mein century maar di, 12 four aur ek chhakka laga ke 101 banaye. Dono ka 181 run ka partnership ne India A ko rula diya, 66 over mein 300 ke paar pahunch gaye Lions. Par Mukesh Kumar ne 68ve over mein Holden ko Dhruv Jurel ke haathon caught karwaya, ek mast length ball pe.
Mukesh ne ruka nahi, James Rew (8) ko lbw kiya aur Rehan Ahmed (3) ko Sarfaraz Khan ke haathon slip mein pakadwaya. Lunch tak Lions 326/5 pe aa gaye, 14 run mein teen wicket girne se India A ko thodi si ummeed jagi. Haines par solid khada raha, 150 run banaye 232 ball mein, aur Dan Mousley ke saath 93 run ki partnership thok di.
Lunch ke baad, Haines aur Mousley ne India A ke bowlers ko aur rula diya, ek bhi wicket nahi diya doosre session mein. Mousley, jo No. 7 pe khela, ne apni pehli first-class century 146 ball mein banayi, ek seedha chhakka Harsh Dubey pe maara aur spin ke khilaaf sweep aur crease ka istemal karke dho daala. Haines 113 pe Jurel ke drop catch ke baad bacha, par 171 pe Shardul Thakur ne usko out kiya, Sarfaraz ke ek zabardast diving catch se. Mousley ne Zaman Akhter (38*) ke saath 108 run jode, Lions ko 500 ke paar le gaye. Din khatam hua jab Karun Nair ne last ball pe Mousley (113) ko lbw kiya, Lions 527/7 pe khatam hue.
Mukesh Kumar ka Solo Dhoom
Mukesh Kumar India A ka hero raha, 3/75 ke figures ke saath. Subah purane Dukes ball se usne bounce aur seam ka jadoo dikhaya, Holden, Rew aur Ahmed ko jaldi out kiya. Uske tight line aur late movement ne Lions ke batters ko pareshan kiya, khas kar pehle session mein jab unhone match ka rukh moda. Par baaki bowlers ne saath nahi diya. Harshit Rana (0/84, 22 over) aur Nitish Kumar Reddy (0/57, 11 over) ne run hi lute, 4.5 se zyada run per over diye. Shardul Thakur (1/90) ko bas Haines ka wicket mila, wo bhi Sarfaraz ke catch ki wajah se. Harsh Dubey, left-arm spinner, ne 25 over daale par 5.20 ke run rate se ek hi wicket liya. Anshul Kamboj ne control dikhaya (1/69), par Mukesh ke alawa kisi ne dhamaka nahi kiya, jisse Lions ne doosre aur teesre session mein domination ki.
Scene aur Asar
Lions ke ballebaazon, Haines (171), Holden (101) aur Mousley (113), ne India A ke bowlers ko pel diya, ek flat pitch pe apni depth dikhayi. India A ke liye, ye din unke bowling attack ke liye chinta ka sabab raha, jab agli England series ke baare mein soch rahe hain. Mukesh ne dikhaya ke wo kamaal kar sakta hai, par Rana, Reddy aur Thakur ka itna run dena aur wickets na lena chinta badhata hai. Match ab draw ki taraf ja raha hai, Lions bas 30 run peeche hain aur teen wicket baaki hain. Par Haines, Mousley aur Holden ki wajah se Lions ka haath upar hai.
Aakhri din mazedaar hoga, par flat pitch aur Lions ki solid batting ke saath result mushkil lagta hai, jab tak India A koi jadoo na kare.
