The three-day practice game between India and Essex eventually ended in a tame draw after both teams decided to call the game off with an hour still left.
It was good practice for the visiting team ahead of the five-match Test series against England. India will be pretty happy with their batting practice in such conditions. However, the central area of concern is Shikhar Dhawan’s form. The southpaw bagged a king pair, as he got dismissed for a duck in both the innings.
KL Rahul yet again looked in great touch and scored an unbeaten 36 in the second innings after completing a fifty in the first.
Both the teams decided to shake hands when India was 89/2 in their 2nd essay. The day began with Essex beginning proceedings on 237/5. It was a fine batting effort by the Essex batsmen which helped them post a competitive 359/8. After an impressive performance with the ball, Paul Walter was the top scorer with the bat as well. He scored a magnificent 75 which studded with 13 fours and a solitary six.
Umesh and Ishant impress for India
The Indian fast bowlers were quite impressive. The spin trio bowled just 11 overs together, and it was indeed a surprise. England has been quite humid, and the role of the spinners will be significant for India in the Test series.
Umesh Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers bagging four wickets for just 35 runs. Ishant Sharma also looked in good rhythm bagging three wickets.
Tom Westley and Michael-Kyle Pepper scored fluent half-centuries to get Essex back on track after they lost a few early wickets. Early in the match, it was India skipper Virat Kohli who won the toss and opted to bat.
Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli looked in great touch and shared an impressive 90-run stand. The wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik was the top scorer for India with an impressive 82.
Rishabh Pant, the 2nd wicket-keeper also displayed his repertoire when he smashed quickfire 34 off 26 deliveries. It was Lokesh Rahul who opened the innings with Shikhar Dhawan in the 2nd outing. The southpaw was castled by a peach of a delivery from Matthew Quinn. Cheteshwar Pujara also failed to make an impact and was dismissed for 23.
Brief Scores
India 1st innings 395 all-out in 100.2 overs (Dinesh Karthik 82, Virat Kohli 68, Paul Walter 4/113)
Essex 1st innings 359/8 in 94 overs (Paul Walter 75, Michael-Kyle Pepper 68, Umesh Yadav 4/35, Ishant Sharma 3/59)
India 2nd innings 89/2 in 29.2 overs (Lokesh Rahul 36*, Matthew Quinn 1/5)
Match Drawn