India failed to take early wickets on the fourth day as their four-day warm-up match ended in a draw against Leicestershire County Club, here on Sunday. Chasing 367 for victory, the hosts reached 219 for four in 66 overs as Kimber (58) and Evison (15) remained unbeaten when the captains decided to join hands. Earlier in the day, India declared their total at 364 for seven. Half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (56 not out), Shreyas Iyer (62) and Virat Kohli (67) set India a target of 367 runs.
#IndiaTourMatch , #LEIVIND , #teamindia pic.twitter.com/wsUcOr7Qvj— Leicestershire Fox (@leicsccc) 26 June 2022
On the whole, India managed to make the most of their four-day warm-up match against Leicestershire, leaving their Test side out for a short time before the upcoming fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. On the third day, the game had turned into an open net, with Cheteshwar Pujara batting for both sides, and Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer getting two chances in the same innings. The fourth and last day was no exception, with Jasprit Bumrah bowling for both the teams as he got a few overs under his belt.
In three innings, Bumrah bowled a total of 29 overs in the match for the lone wicket of Virat Kohli, but it might just be the workout he needed in Tests. Mohammed Shami, on the other hand, looked in good form, sending off a quick spell before giving England a worthy rest in mind. However, the bright spot of the fourth day was that R Ashwin, who had tested positive for Covid-19 at the time of departure for England, was on the field and got two wickets. Ashwin did not make an XI for one of India’s four Tests against England last summer but could well make the cut for the rescheduled fifth Test, as he proved his fitness.
Ashwin had arrived in England late after testing positive for Covid just before the trip, but was cleared to play on the fourth day and straight into action, bowling 11 clean overs and taking two wickets. The spinner had stumped Leicestershire captain Sam Evans, but it was Gill’s wicket that would have given him the most joy of the day, making a subtle change in the ground, tossing the ball up and trapping the opener straight into his net.
In batting, top-order Shubman Gill’s scintillating 62 for Leicestershire was an encouraging sign on Sunday, with the opener looking in good form, before he ended his 77 off 77 balls by Ashwin. To get out. In contrast, Hanuma Vihari struggled at times, lacking fluency as he had most of the practice matches. The India batsman was defeated by Leicestershire youngster Louis Kimber, who reached his unbeaten half-century before joining the captains’ hands at Leicester.
Brief Scores: India 246 for 8 and 9 for 364 (Kohli 67, Jadeja 56 not out) vs Leicestershire 244 and 219 for 4 (Gill 62, Kimber 56, Ashwin 2-31). match draw