After losing Yashasvi Jaiswal early, Rahul and Easwaran combined for a steady 88-run stand. Rahul, in particular, looked assured against both pace and spin, notching nine boundaries before falling to a top-edged pull. Easwaran continued confidently, striking ten fours before edging Chris Woakes to slip shortly after a bad light delay.
Earlier, England Lions resumed at 192/3 but suffered a dramatic morning collapse. Left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed led the charge, claiming 4/70 including key wickets of James Rew, George Hill, and Woakes. The visitors slumped to 266/8 by lunch. Despite the collapse, England’s last pair — Josh Tongue (36\) and young Eddie Jack — frustrated India A with a dogged 48-run stand before Anshul Kamboj ended the innings at 327. India A secured a slender 21-run first-innings lead.
At stumps, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy were unbeaten, with India A poised to set a challenging target on the final day.
