India A aur England Lions ke beech Northampton mein khela ja raha doosra unofficial Test match ka doosra din bad light ki wajah se jaldi khatam ho gaya. England Lions ne 46 overs mein 192/3 ka score bana liya, lekin India A ke bowlers ke haath se kai mauke chhoot gaye. Tom Haines (54) aur Emilio Gay (71) ne shandaar half-centuries lagayi, jabki Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande aur Tanush Kotian ne wickets toh li, par fielding mein kami reh gayi. Yeh wahi kahani hai jo aksar dekhi jaati hai – Indian teams ke saath chances miss hona aur phir match ka control haath se nikalna.
Lekin chaliye, thodi der ke liye is disappointment ko side pe rakhte hain aur dekhte hain ki is din ke khel mein kya acha hua. India A ke bowlers ne shuruaat mein struggle kiya, khas taur par Khaleel Ahmed aur Anshul Kamboj, jinhone swing toh paya lekin consistency ki kami thi. Phir bhi, Tushar Deshpande ne apne around-the-wicket angle se Tom Haines ko out kar ek bada breakthrough diya. Haines ka catch Dhruv Jurel ne liya, jo ek baar fir apne wicketkeeping skills se sabko impress kar rahe hain. Jurel ka yeh catch yaad dilata hai 2021 ke England tour ka, jab KL Rahul ne Lord’s ke Test match mein apne century se dhoom machayi thi aur team ko ek solid start diya tha. Is match mein bhi, Rahul ne pehle din 116 runs ki shandaar inning kheli, jo India A ke 348 runs ke total ka sabse bada sahara bani.
Tanush Kotian ne bhi apna jadoo dikhaya. Unhone Emilio Gay ko LBW out kiya, jo ek set batsman tha aur England Lions ke liye bada khatra ban raha tha. Kotian ki yeh wicket Mumbai ke us Ranji Trophy season ki yaad dilati hai, jab unhone apne all-round performance se team ko champion banaya tha. Kotian ka yeh effort dikhata hai ki Indian domestic cricket abhi bhi kitna talent de raha hai. Aur phir Anshul Kamboj, jo apne pehle spell mein thodi mushkil mein the, lekin unhone Ben McKinney ko out karke apna confidence wapas paya. Yeh wahi Kamboj hain jinhone Australia A ke khilaaf unofficial Test mein bhi apni swing bowling se sabka dhyan khincha tha.
England Lions ke liye Tom Haines aur Emilio Gay ki batting ne unhe ek solid platform diya. Haines ne apne pehle match ke century ke form ko continue kiya, jabki Gay ne 117 balls mein 71 runs banaye, jisme unka on-drive off Kotian ek classic shot tha. Yeh partnership yaad dilati hai 2005 ke Ashes series ke, jab Kevin Pietersen aur Andrew Flintoff ne apne aggressive batting se England ko Australia ke khilaaf ek historic jeet dilayi thi. England Lions ke batsmen ne bhi aaj waisa hi confidence dikhaya, aur India A ke bowlers ko pressure mein rakha.
Lekin yahan se kahani fir thodi si utar jati hai. India A ke fielders ne do important catches drop kiye – ek Haines ka backward point pe aur doosra Gay ka early in his innings. Yeh missed chances woh pal hain jo match ka rukh badal sakte the. Yaad kijiye 2018 ka India ka Australia tour, jab Cheteshwar Pujara ke multiple catches drop hone ke baad unke century ne India ko pehla Test harwa diya tha. Aaj bhi wahi galti dohrayi gayi. Shardul Thakur ke five no-balls ne bhi team ka discipline kharab kiya. Thakur, jo apne Test career mein ek reliable all-rounder rahe hain, aaj thodi si rhythm mein nahi dikhe.
Ab jab teesra din shuru hoga, Jordan Cox (31*) aur James Rew crease par honge, aur England Lions ke paas mauka hai India A ke lead ko aur kam karne ka. Lekin India A ke bowlers, khas taur par Kotian aur Deshpande, agar apne discipline ko wapas laayein aur fielders unka saath dein, toh yeh match abhi bhi unke haath mein aa sakta hai. Lekin filhaal, bad light aur missed chances ki wajah se, yeh din India A ke liye ek chhoti si haar jaisa lagta hai. Kya woh kal wapas aakar is kahani ko badal payenge, ya fir yeh match bhi unke haathon se fisal jayega, jaise kai baar pehle hua hai?
