India A Script A Stupendous Win Against ECB XI

Shreyas Iyer is currently leading the India A team which is presently doing a full-fledged tour in England.

Cricket news: Iyer, Shaw, Kishan and Chahar were the pick of the Indian players

They have played the first match at Leeds against England Cricket Board (ECB) XI and came out on top with a comprehensive win by a margin of 125 runs.

Having batted first, Iyer’s men racked a mammoth total of 328 runs for 8 wickets. In reply the ECB XI were bundled up for 203 in just 37 overs.

ECB XI won the toss and their captain Alex Davies decided to field first, which backfired as India’s opening partnership of 43 runs was made in 31 balls.

Prithvi Shaw was in terrific form, as he battered all the bowlers and scored most of the runs. Shaw’s opening partner Mayank Agarwal failed to get any momentum and perished for just 4 runs.

After Agarwal’s departure, Shaw carried on his brutal batting alongside Hanuma Vihari, and eventually ended up scoring 70 runs from 61 balls which included 7 boundaries and 3 sixes.

India were put in trouble in the 21st over when Ryan Higgins took both the wickets of Shaw and Vihari. Vijay Shankar came in next, but failed to impress, scoring only 11 runs.

Later Ishan Kishan, who came into the match in place of Sanju Samson, built a 99-run partnership with captain Iyer which brought the momentum back to the visitors.

Both Kishan and Iyer scored half-centuries and ensured that India cross the 300-run mark comfortably.

During the chase, ECB XI lost wickets consistently and never posed any sort of threat. Only the second-wicket partnership of 47 runs between George Hankins and Ben Slater showed some hope, but after they were dismissed everything went downhill.

Matt Critchley, who is a lower-order right-handed batsman, scored 40 runs but was never enough to get his team back to winning track.

Deepak Chahar took 3 wickets for 48 runs and was the pick of the Indian bowlers. India will next face Leicestershire on June 19 at the Grace Road. After that they will take part in the triangular series along with England Lions and Windies A, starting from June 22.

Brief Scores

India A: 328/8 in 50 overs; (Prithvi Shaw 70, Shreyas Iyer 54; Ryan Higgins 4/50, Delray Rawlins 1/33)

ECB XI: 203 all out in 36.5 overs; (Matt Critchley 40, Ben Slater 37; Deepak Chahar 3/48, Axar Patel 2/21)

India A beat ECB XI by 125 runs