India A spinners turned the knife into England Lions’ batting line-up to give their side a commanding 134-run victory on the fourth day of the third and final unofficial ‘Test’ in Ahmedabad on Sunday. (IND Vs ENG Blog | Cricket News)
Chasing an improbable 403, the Lions were bundled out for 268 in their second innings as India A bagged the three-match series 2-0.
Mumbai left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (5/60) and Madhya Pradesh off-spinner Saransh Jain (3/50) grabbed eight wickets among them as England crumbled after resuming from overnight 83 for two.
England Lions opener Alex Lees, who started the day from 41, completed his fifty and looked good for more.
But his stay was cut short when Mulani trapped him in front of the wickets for 55.
England were 120 for 4 then and they lost another three wickets while adding 20 more runs to slip to 140 for seven.
Mulani added the scalps of Lions’ skipper Josh Bohannon (18) and Dan Mousley (5) to his kitty in this period.
However, the Lions were not ready to fade away without one last fight.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson (80, 105 balls, 7x4, 2x6) and James Coles (31, 58 balls, 3x4) added 104 runs for an entertaining eighth-wicket stand from a little over 23 overs.
The Lions moved past the 200-run mark with ease, but it always was the case of getting that one wicket. Mulani did the job of snapping the partnership, winning a leg-before appeal against Coles.
Once Jain castled Robinson, the Lions’ innings and the match came to a quick close.
Brief scores: India A: 192 & 409 beat England Lions: 199 & 268 all out in 72.4 overs (Ollie Robinson 81, Alex Lees 55, James Coles 31; Shams Mulani 5/60, Saransh Jain 3/50) by 134 runs.
