Ishan Kishan heroics bail India 'A' out after Sam Billings sizzles

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ishan Kishan by now would have enough fond memories of Thiruvananthapuram. It was in the city that he scored a Ranji Trophy double century (273) comprising 14 sixes for Jharkhand against Delhi in 2016. At the same venue, at the St Xavier's College ground in Thumba, the wicketkeeper-batsman led the Board President's XI to two wins in a row against England Lions last week.Then on Wednesday at the Sports Hub here, he produced a match-turning late cameo (57 not out off 48 balls; 5x4, 1x6) to help India 'A' beat England Lions by three wickets in the first of the five-match one-day series.
For England Lions, captain Sam Billings scored a clinical century (108 not out off 104 balls; 5x4, 4x6) to put up a challenging total of 285 for seven on the board. India 'A' were behind the required rate for the most part of their chase but the depth of their batting line-up came to the fore on a hot and humid day as they reached the target in 49.1 overs losing seven wickets.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane (59 off 87 balls; 4x4) and Anmolpreet Singh (33 off 45 balls; 5x4) gave India 'A' a steady start scoring 66 for the first wicket. After Anmolpreet's departure, Shreyas Iyer came in and played the role of the aggressor. He found a liking to the spinners and hit three sixes in his 45 off 52 balls.
Left-arm spinner Danny Brings' double strikes -- dismissing Rahane and Hanuma Vihari (16) -- made the equation tougher for India 'A' who needed 106 from the final 12 overs. That is when the left-handed pair of Kishan and Krunal Pandya (29 off 25 balls; 3x4, 1x6) put their foot on the accelerator. First, Kishan targeted off-spinner Will Jacks and hit him over the cow corner for a six and followed that up with a four through the same region the next ball. Then Krunal hit Zak Chappell (3/84) for a couple of fours and a six to bring the asking rate under control.
Kishan and Krunal added 60 runs for the fifth wicket in 53 balls and even though he lost his partner, Kishan kept his cool and saw through the chase and in the process, registered his 10th List-A half-century.
Earlier, Billings stood out among the English batsmen for his balance, poise and timing in an innings characterized by calculated risk-taking. He rotated the strike well and went for the aerial shots when the opportunity was presented and guided the Lions innings. At one point, India 'A' might have hoped to restrict the Lions for a smaller total but Billings stood firm and hit some lusty blows towards the end, most importantly the six to bring up his century in the final over of the innings.
For India 'A', Siddharth Kaul took three wickets (3/54) and spinners Mayank Markande (2/45) and Axar Patel (2/52) two each.
Brief scores:
England Lions 285/7 in 50 overs (Sam Billings 108 no, Alex Davies 54 no; Siddharth Kaul 3/54, Mayank Markande 2/45, Axar Patel 2/52) lost to India 'A' 288/7 in 49.1 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 59, Ishan Kishan 57 no, Shreyas Iyer 45, Anmolpreet Singh 33; Zak Chappell 3/84, Danny Briggs 2/31, Lewis Gregory 2/45) by 3 wickets.