After Ian Bell led England ‘A’ to a mammoth 343 for eight, India ‘A’ managed to end level with the hosts courtesy a last-ball bye to enter the finals of the tournament from which the third team — West Indies ‘A’ — has already crashed out.
The Indians will now be up against the Englishmen again in the final on Thursday. Shikhar Dhawan provided some early momentum by striking eight powerful boundaries, but the chase was anchored by his fellow opener Mukund. The left-hander, who has scored a triple-century in first-class cricket, gave his side a chance of an unlikely win with a 120-ball 114 which included 12 fours.
Brief scores: England Lions: 343/8 in 50 overs (S Davies 54, I Bell 158, D Stevens 64; Jaskaran S 2-73, Iqbal A 2-56) tied with India ‘A’: 343/8 in 50 overs (Abhinav Mukund 114, Shikhar Dhawan 44, Ajinkya Rahane 29, Cheteshwar Pujara 27, Manoj Tiwary 46, Wriddhiman Saha 36; Liam Plunkett 4-58, Ravi Bopara 2-40).
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