Karun Nair repays selectors' faith with roaring century in India A vs England Lions clash, Sarfaraz Khan burns bright with robust 92

33-year-old Karun Nair made his case of returning to India's Test playing XI even stronger as he scored a brilliant century for India A on the first day of the first unofficial Test against the England Lions on Friday. The batter who recently made a comeback to India's Test squad after eight long years and was included in the 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match England series, brought up his century in 154 deliveries.    

Karun Nair made his return to the India Test squad after eight years

After having an incredible domestic campaign last season with Vidarbha which saw him hit 779 runs in eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and 863 runs in just nine matches in Ranji Trophy, Nair got back into contention for India's Test squad. Before getting back into the team, Nair also got selected in the India A squad for the two-match unofficial Test series against the England Lions and he ended up making the most of the opportunity he got.

Another player who impressed on his return was Sarfaraz Khan. The batter last played Test cricket for India in the New Zealand series last year and though he did play a sensational knock of 150 in the first Test, his form quickly dropped and he only managed to put up a total of 21 runs in his next four innings.

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Though Sarfaraz did get a spot in India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar series 2024/25 against Australia, he never got to play in any of the five matches. Ahead of the England series, the 27-year-old underwent an impressive body transformation and ended up losing 10 kilograms by taking strict dietary measures.

Despite this, Sarfaraz wasn't picked in India's squad for the upcoming England assignment, however he did find a place in the India A squad for the unofficial Test series against England Lions. With the fine knock of 92, he sent a clear message to the selectors.

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Though Sarfaraz did miss out on a remarkable century, his knock that included 13 boundaries, definitely won't go under the radar. There are still chances that the batter can make it to India's squad for the five-match series against England as he can get picked if a player in the playing XI gets injured during the gruelling tour which is set to go on till the month of August.

Nair's century and Sarfaraz's 92 have put India A in quite a strong position against the England Lions. The visitors have already crossed the 300-run mark and have only lost three wickets so far. With Nair still on the crease, it is likely that India A will post a formidable first inning total against the hosts.