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Sai Sudharsan proved his batting prowess yet again with with an impressive century against the England Lions, positioning India A strongly at the close of Day three of their third unofficial 'Test' on February 3. Scoring 117 from 240 deliveries, Sudharsan led India A to post a second-innings total of 409, securing a commanding lead of 402 runs. In pursuit of a daunting 403 for a victory that seems out of reach, the Lions finished day three at 83 for two in their second innings, with opener Alex Lees not out at 41. The Lions require 320 more runs on the last day to clinch a win and draw the series, which India currently leads 1-0.
Resuming at 148/3, India A's advancement was significantly attributed to Sudharsan, who built impressively on his overnight score of 54. Rinku Singh, the Indian left-hander, contributed a quick 38 off 25 balls, including five fours and a six, injecting momentum into India's innings early on.
The partnership between Sudharsan and Rinku for the fourth wicket added 55 runs to the scoreboard.
Fast bowler Matthew Fisher brought an end to Rinku Singh's innings by bowling him out. However, the host team extended their lead further with Sudharsan and Kumar Kushagra putting together an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Sudharsan, who hit 16 boundaries in his knock, successfully turned his half-century into a century this time around. The 22-year-old batter from Tamil Nadu had previously scored 97 in the last 'Test' against the Lions.
His performance was notably different from that of his opening partner and captain, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has only managed a single fifty (58) in five innings against the Lions in the series. Sudharsan's innings came to an end when he was caught by wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson off Fisher's bowling.
At this point, India was at 320, but Saransh Jain (63 off 102 balls) and Akash Deep (31 off 47 balls) stepped up, adding 60 runs for the eighth wicket, further increasing the lead over the visitors. Jain also made a significant impact with the ball, taking the wickets of in-form Keaton Jennings (27) and Oliver Price (11) early on, thereby delivering a blow to the Lions' batting lineup.
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