In India A’s second unofficial Test against the England Lions at the County Ground in Northampton on Friday, June 6, Abhimanyu Easwaran was demoted to make way for KL Rahul at the top of the order. The skipper of India A walked out to bat at number three after Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) was dismissed, however he only lasted 11 runs.
In the first unofficial Test between the teams, Jaiswal and Easwaran opened for the visiting team in both innings. After a disappointing first innings, the duo batted brilliantly in the second. However, Rahul’s desire to participate in the practice match required a modification in the batting order.
Rahul opened the innings for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 while Rohit Sharma was absent for the first Test. He did an admirable job, opening for the most of the series. Jaiswal, who has established himself as India’s Test opener, is expected to be given a lengthier run unless his form deteriorates.
Why KL Rahul flew early to England?
Rahul was initially set to land in England along with the Indian squad today. When the squad was announced in May, Delhi Capitals were still in contention for a spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs. Hence, the star batter committed himself fully to help the Capitals win.
Following the exit of the Delhi-based franchise from the 18th edition of the league, Rahul decided to land early in England and play the second unofficial Test to get to know about the playing conditions before the start of the five-match series.
As pre-monsoon rains showered major Indian cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru, Rahul decided to fly a bit early to England so that he does not delay his arrival in England before the unofficial Test in Northampton. Today’s development indicates that Rahul and Jaiswal are likely to open the innings for India against England given their success in the BGT 2024/25 as well.
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