Patidar hits century as India A draw against England Lions

Rajat Patidar hit a commendable 111 but Sarfaraz Khan missed out on a hundred by just four runs as India A and England Lions played out a draw in the two-day warm-up match, in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The Indians resumed the day at 123/1 and lost Pradosh Paul (21) at 130 before Patidar and Sarfaraz (96) put on a 70-run stand for the third wicket.

The partnership ended when Callum Parkinson removed Patidar, who hit 18 fours and a six.

Sarfaraz then joined hands with K S Bharat (64) and put on a brilliant 121-run partnership to allow India to take a healthy lead.

The stand was eventually ended by Dan Mousley, who got rid of Bharat at 331, followed by Jack Carson dismissing Sarfaraz 10 runs later.

The Indians came up with another effective 50-plus-run partnership, as Dhruv Jurel (50), who earned his maiden India Test call-up on Friday night, tagged along with Manav Suthar (26) for a 57-run stand.

Jurel became the sixth wicket to fall for the side at 398, as India A lost a couple more wickets to end the day at 437 for eight, earning a lead of 229.

For the Lions, Parkinson and Carson grabbed a couple of wickets each, while Mousley was economical.

Earlier, opting to bat first, the visitors were dismissed for 233, with Mousley (60) being their top scorer.

For the Indians, Manav Suthar was the star with the ball, with figures of three for 45, whereas Tushar Deshpande turned out to be the most economical one for the side.

The two teams will now clash in three unofficial four-day Tests starting Wednesday.