How Did KL Rahul, Karun Nair & Other India A Players Fare Against England Lions?

Note: All Stats are only from the recently concluded series, unless stated otherwise

With the start of the five-match Test series against England just 10 days away, we take a look at how the India A players fared in the recent unofficial Tests against the England Lions on a scale of 1 to 10.

Karun Nair - 259 runs @ 86.33, 100s: 1

9/10

With a bucketload of runs in domestic cricket, Karun Nair has finally returned to the Indian set-up. He started off the A tour with a brilliant double hundred, which has more or less assured him of a place in the XI at least in the first Test at Headingley in 10 days.

Dhruv Jurel - 227 runs @ 75.66, 50s: 3

8/10

Seen as a wicketkeeping back-up for Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel proved that he can be looked at solely as a batter in the middle-order, slamming three fifties in four innings against the Lions. He was assured behind the wickets as well, grabbing seven catches in two matches.

KL Rahul - 167 runs @ 83.50, 100s: 1, 50s 1

9.5/10

KL Rahul pretty much ticked all the boxes in his only match of the unofficial Tests as he slammed 116 in the first innings, opening the batting and followed that up with another sublime half-century in the second. That should bury all questions of who should open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Tests against England.

Abhimanyu Easwaran - 167 runs @ 41.75, 50s: 2

6.5/10

Like Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran too has been a prolific scorer over the years in first-class cricket. While he has been on the fringes of the Indian team, he has not made it into the XI. He had a chance in this series, where he was named captain, but despite getting starts, he could not convert them into big scores.

Nitish Kumar Reddy - 135 runs @ 45, 50s: 1, 2 wickets @ 56

5/10

Nitish Kumar Reddy is a handy player to have down the order, and he showed that in the series, with some quick runs. He would be happy with the starts he got, but after what we saw at the MCG against Australia, one thought he would take his game to the next level, but it wasn't to be. He has a lot of work to do with his bowling as well, as he managed just two wickets in nearly 27 overs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal - 110 runs @ 27.50, 50s: 1

5/10

Barring a 64 in the first game, Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to get going in the remaining innings, further going on to show that the southpaw could struggle in the Test series with the ball seaming around early. However, India would hope that he would have learnt from his four innings here and will be able to do the job for his country in the upcoming Test series, but the early signs are ALARMING! 

Tanush Kotian - 105 runs @ 105, 50s: 1, 1 wicket @ 31 

7/10

Seen as a long-term replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin, Tanush Kotian made an impact with the bat but managed just a solitary wicket from his 13 overs. The Mumbai all-rounder is no stranger to playing a massive role with the bat down the order, and he did just that with an impressive 90* in Northampton. Kotian will be a good addition to the Indian side along with Ravindra Jadeja as a second spin-bowling all-rounder, if needed.

Sarfaraz Khan - 92 runs @ 92, 50s: 1

7/10

Sarfaraz Khan could consider himself a tad unlucky to miss out on selection for the England Test series. He hit fifty or more in four of his first seven innings in Tests, but then struggled with scores of 11, 9, 0, and 1. However, his intent-filled 92 and a 181-run stand with Nair in the first unofficial Test in Canterbury keeps his chances of getting a call-up (in case of injury) alive.

Shardul Thakur - 80 runs @ 26.66, 2 wickets @ 72.50

4/10

Shardul Thakur has done well in whatever chances he has received in Tests in England, accounting for 10 wickets at 37.10, and three fifties. Hence, he would ideally be a lock for India in the upcoming Test series. But he managed just a couple of scalps against the Lions and scored 25 in two of the three innings down the order. He is likely to get the nod ahead of Nitish in the Test series, at least for the initial stages but will need more than these performances to keep his place.

Anshul Kamboj - 76 runs @ 38, 50s: 1, 5 wickets @ 26.20

8.5/10

Anshul Kamboj has shown a lot of promise in domestic cricket and also in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, against the Lions, he made the best of his opportunities, finishing as India A's leading wicket-taker with five scalps. Moreover, he did his credentials as an all-rounder no harm, slamming an unbeaten fifty down the order, putting on 186 for the eighth wicket in the second game to help his side to a draw.

Harsh Dubey - 32 runs @ 32, 1 wicket @ 129

3/10

Fresh from a record-breaking 69 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and a fruitful season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which saw him pick up five wickets in three matches. It was hard toil for him in Canterbury, where he picked up just one wicket in 25 overs. However, scored a useful 32 at eight to somewhat redeem himself.

Harshit Rana - 1 wicket @ 99

2/10

Harshit Rana had his moments in his debut Test series against Australia, but he looked undercooked in the longest format. His sole wicket in the series against England Lions was of Josh Hull, but otherwise, he failed to make an impact. 

Tushar Deshpande - 3 wickets @ 25

5/10

Tushar Deshpande picked up his 100th first-class scalp during the series against the Lions, but by no stretch of imagination did he stand out. He got an early breakthrough, but barring that, did not reap rewards. He is well below the pecking order as far as the India Test call-up is concerned, but that could change if he has another good domestic season.

Khaleel Ahmed - 4 wickets @ 19

7.5/10

While India have picked Arshdeep Singh as their sole left-arm pacer in the squad, Khaleel Ahmed did his chances no harm with a superb spell in Northampton to finish with 4/70. He triggered a collapse that saw the Lions lose four wickets in a span of 10 runs. He had a good season in the IPL too, and the 27-year-old ensured that he is not all that bad in the longest format as well.

Mukesh Kumar - 3 wickets @ 30.66

3/10

Mukesh Kumar had his moment in the first game, where he picked up three wickets in quick succession to bring India A back in the contest. Mukesh has not impressed in his three Tests for India so far, and his underwhelming IPL too did not work in his favour. However, the 31-year-old pacer would be pleased with his performance in his only game of the A series.