Kotian and Kamboj lead India A to entertaining draw courtesy of their all-round exploits with bat and ball.
Kotian and Kamboj star on final day as tour game ends in draw.
The final day of the second unofficial Test between the England Lions and India A concluded in a draw, with Tanush Kotian and Anshul Kamboj taking centre stage. Before the sides shook hands, the two had an uninterrupted 121-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Kamboj then hit thrice in an over.
They scored just over five runs per over in the 29.4 overs they batted together, and the partnership lasted the whole middle sessions.
By the close of the first session, when Shardul Thakur was bowled by George Hill after driving down the incorrect line, India A was already trying to pick up speed.
Even though they could have faced Lions earlier in the match, India A chose to postpone their declaration till the tea break when Kotian and Kamboj continued to pile on the runs.
Kotian attacked Farhan Ahmed after indicating his intentions with a six off Josh Tongue early in his play. The 17-year-old offspinner ultimately gave up more than 108 runs without taking a wicket.
While Kamboj was content to destroy anything short or overpitched from the fast bowlers, Kotian, like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Thakur before him, targeted the spinner with massive hits down the ground.
Soon after they reached their half-century partnership in just 56 balls, Kotian got his 16th first-class fifty. With a variety of strokes, including both traditional and more impromptu ones, such as a ramp over the slips cordon, the towering all-rounder then accelerated his scoring.
The Lions quickly resorted to part-time players like Emilio Gay and their openers Tom Haines and Ben McKinney, which gave Kamboj the opportunity to step up his game and reach his first-ever first-class fifty. When Kamboj received a slot ball from Haines and lofted it down the ground for six, it was his best shot of the day.
Kotian was ten runs short of his fourth first-class century when the Lions stepped out to bat following the tea break.
When Tushar Deshpande pulled Haines’ outside edge and Reddy made a diving catch to his left, he took the opening wicket. Then, in his second over, Kamboj had Gay edging behind before knocking him over by beating Jordan Cox’s outside edge.
Chris Woakes bowled three overs on the last day of the first Test, while Tongue, who was a concern for injuries after hobbling off after delivering four overs on the third day, came out and bowled five on the fourth day and appeared to be in good rhythm during his session.