Canterbury: Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan mastered the England Lions bowlers with crafty unbeaten fifties to carry India A to healthy 227 for two at tea on the first day of the four-day Unofficial Test here on Friday.
Karun (91) and Sarfaraz (92) added 176 runs for the unbroken third wicket alliance to stonewall the Lions bowlers in a wicketless second session.
Karun, who was dropped on 89 off pacer Ajeet Singh Dale at first slip, displayed all his experience of playing in the County circuit for Northamptonshire while bringing up his fifty off 85 balls.
Sarfaraz, who failed to get a Test call, was cautious to begin with and he also fetched his half-century in 85 balls.
But once he went past the mark, the Mumbai man increased the pace of scoring and even outpaced Karun, often bringing out those well-timed dabs past the point and gully fielders for fours.
Karun played some delightful drives, cuts, pulls and the occasional reverse sweep to collect his runs from around the field after India A lost openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first session.
Brief scores: India A: 227/2 in 55 overs (Karun Nair 91 batting, Sarfaraz Khan 92 batting) vs England Lions.
