ENG Lions vs IND A: KL Rahul opens with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran to bat at 3 in second unofficial Test

Abhimanyu Easwaran demoted himself to accomodate KL Rahul at the top of the order in India A's second unofficial Test against England Lions at the County Ground in Northampton on Friday, June 6. The skipper of India A came out to bat at number 3 following the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) but did not last long as he was out for 11 runs.

In the first unofficial Test between the teams, Jaiswal and Easwaran opened the innings for the visiting side in both the innings. The duo batted well in the second innings after not having a great outing in the first one. However, Rahul's wish to take part in the practice match meant a change in batting order.

Rahul had opened the innings for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, when Rohit Sharma was absent for the first Test. He did a commendable job and opened for the majority of the series. Jaiswal, who has established himself as India's Test opener, is likely to get a longer run unless there is a poor run of form.

ENG vs IND: KL Rahul requests to join IND-A ahead of 5 Tests

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ENG vs IND: KL Rahul requests to join IND-A ahead of 5 Tests

Why KL Rahul flew early to England?

Rahul was initially set to land in England along with the Indian squad today. When the squad was announced in May, Delhi Capitals were still in contention for a spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs. Hence, the star batter committed himself fully to help the Capitals win.

Following the exit of the Delhi-based franchise from the 18th edition of the league, Rahul decided to land early in England and play the second unofficial Test to get to know about the playing conditions before the start of the five-match series.

As pre-monsoon rains showered major Indian cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, Rahul decided to fly a bit early to England so that he does not delay his arrival in England before the unofficial Test in Northampton. Today's development indicates that Rahul and Jaiswal are likely to open the innings for India against England given their success in the BGT 2024/25 as well.