England Lions vs India A 2025, 1st unofficial Test, Day 1: Karun Nair leads charge with commendable ton

India A ended up posting 409/3 on Day 1 after England Lions won the toss and elected to field in the first unofficial Test between the two sides at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.

The first five overs resulted in only four runs being scored. Josh Hull produced the first breakthrough of the morning by trapping Abhimanyu Easwaran (eight off 17) on the front pad. The pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Karun Nair successfully saw off the new-ball pair of Ajeet Singh Dale and Josh Hull.

19-year-old Eddie Jack dismissed Jaiswal on his First-Class debut. Sarfaraz Khan and Nair ensured no additional damage was inflicted until Lunch. India A resumed the second session on 86/2. Nair and Sarfaraz got to their respective half-centuries in the 37th (85 balls) and 45th (84 balls) overs, respectively.

The duo wrapped up a wicketless session in style. It was a hard grind for the Lions' bowling unit. At Tea, Nair and Sarfaraz were on 91* and 92*, respectively. The latter perished six deliveries into the final session of the day. Hull and James Rew secured their second wicket and catch of the day, respectively.

Nair brought up his 24th First-Class century in the 60th over of the day. Rehan Ahmed's seventh over was belted for 19 runs. Nair and Dhruv Jurel got to their 150 and fifty in the 74th and 80th overs, respectively. Stumps were called with Nair (186* off 246) and Jurel (82* off 104).

Speaking of the bowlers from England Lions, Dale Singh bowled the most number of overs (19). The three wickets in India A's total of 409/3 in 90 overs belonged to Hull (2/51 in 14 overs) and Jack (1/51 in 15 overs). One of the two capped players from the Lions' outfit, Rehan, had a dull day. The leg-spinner went wicketless while conceding 95 runs in 16 overs.