Tom Haines, Emilio Gay fifties take England Lions to 192/3 in reply to India A's 348 on rain-affected Day 2 of 2nd unofficial Test

England Lions were positioned at 192/3 while replying to visitors' 348 on Day 2 of the second unofficial Test against India A which ended prematurely due to bad lights. This leaves the home side trailing India A by 156 runs heading into the third day of the match despite Tom Haines, Emilio Gay's fifties. Indian bowlers couldn't make much impact on Day 2 as they they were made to toil in the 46 overs they bowled before stumps were drawn due to bad lights.

At the close of play, Jordan Cox remained unbeaten on 31, while James Rew had yet to score. The final session of the day saw only 13 overs being bowled.

Earlier in the day, Emilio Gay was the standout performer for England Lions, scoring a well-constructed 71 runs off 117 deliveries before he was eventually dismissed. The hosts had reached a score of 146 for two when the weather intervened, with rain interrupting the proceedings and forcing an early tea break. This interruption came shortly after Tushar Deshpande had dismissed the well-set Tom Haines, who had reached his half-century, for 54 runs.

A crucial 94-run partnership for the second wicket between Tom Haines and Emilio Gay had been instrumental in England Lions' fightback during the second session. The duo scored their runs at a healthy pace, facing only 128 balls together and effectively keeping the India A bowlers at bay for a significant period.The breakthrough that led to the end of this partnership came in the 28th over, shortly after a change of ball in the 27th over. A wide delivery from Tushar Deshpande tempted Tom Haines into a hard drive, and the extra bounce generated by the pitch resulted in a sharp catch being taken by the wicketkeeper, Dhruv Jurel. Haines' innings of 54 included a fine display of strokeplay, with nine boundaries scored off the 88 balls he faced. For India A, the wickets that fell were shared amongst the pace and spin bowlers, with Anshul Kamboj taking one wicket for 38 runs, Tushar Deshpande also claiming one for 44, and the spinner Tanush Kotian picking up one wicket for 21 runs.