Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan made a staggering comebacks with their premium contribution with the bat for India A against England Lions in the first unofficial Test match.
The duo added a solid 181-run stand with Nair eventually going to score a century on return while Sarfaraz was dismissed for 92 runs. The two batters auditioned for the number four slot with Virat Kohli now retired from Test cricket.
Karun Nair was included in the Test side that was announced for the series against England. He was also included in the India A side given the experience he has playing in England and also in domestic cricket overall.
Karun went onto score over 150 runs and made the most of this opportunity. He has made a big case of making himself the top candidate to replace Kohli at number four atleast in the first Test at Leeds.
It was a patient innings from Nair as he understood that he needed to make this opportunity count. The first sight of his good form was reflected in IPL 2025 when he scored 89 runs against Mumbai Indians and took Jasprit Bumrah to the cleaners. His next-best score in the IPL was of 44 runs in DC's last match against Punjab Kings.
While Karun Nair stole the limelight with his batting on the very first day of the unofficial Test, the other part of the mammoth partnership was Sarfaraz Khan. He was named in the India A squad for the two matches against England. However, he was not included in the original Test squad named for the series with Karun Nair picked ahead of him.
India A Were Put Into Bat First By England Lions
Sarfaraz Makes Most Of His Opportunity
However, Sarfaraz also made the most of his opportunity, scoring 92 runs off 119 balls with 13 fours. The innings was also a testament of his fitness. The young batter was heavily criticised for his fitness in the last and he has worked tremendously hard to bring himself back in shape.
The knock was a statement from both the batters for different reasons. Nair was looking to make a comeback to the Indian team which he did. For Sarfaraz, it was a reminder to the selectors that despite him being ignored, he is good enough to play in English conditions.
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