Thiruvananthapuram: Young hopefuls will look to impress in the three-day warm-up game ahead between Board President’s XI and the England Lions ahead of the two-match unofficial Test series beginning on Sunday.
The England Lions have had a tough tour thus far, losing four of the five limited-overs game and will expect to put up an improved show in the longer version.
Led by Sam Billings, who was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the IPL last year, the team comprises a handful of players who have featured in international matches.
The lanky Jamie Overton, twin brother of Test player Craig Overton, has performed well on the tour and will look to trouble the host batsmen with his pace and bounce. Billings has scored runs and led well and would be expected to continue in the same vein as against a varied bowling attack of the BP XI. The talented young Ishan Kishan leads a young BP XI squad, which includes a number of players who have done well in domestic cricket.
Jharkhand’s left-arm spinner Pappu Roy, rookie Mumbai fast bowler Tushar Deshpande, Andhra batsman Ricky Bhui have earned their places in the side with impressive performances this season. Kishan, who was part of the India ‘A’ limited overs squad for the initial games and did well, would hope to lead from the front.
Off-spinner Jayant Yadav, who finds himself on the outer after playing a handful of Tests and ODIs, will be keen to work his way back into contention.
The first of the two unofficial Tests between England Lions and India ‘A’ begins at Wayanad on February 7.
Board President’s XI: Ishan Kishan (C & WK), Rituraj Gaekwad, Anmolpreet Singh, Deepak Hooda, Rajat Patidar, Ricky Bhui, Himmat Singh, Mayank Markande, Jayant Yadav, Pappu Roy, Pankaj Jaiswal, Tushar Deshpande, Navdeep Saini.
England Lions: Sam Billings (c), Dominic Bess, Danny Briggs, Tom Bailey, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Zak Chappell, Sam Hain, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Tom Moores, Ollie Pope, Jamie Porter, Alex Davies. (PTI)
