London, June 7(HS): KL Rahul marked his return to red-ball cricket with a stunning century, scoring 116 runs in the second unofficial Test against England Lions. His performance helped India A to a solid total of 319/7 on a rain-affected first day. Rahul, who was initially not part of the playing XI, made a compelling case for his inclusion after the IPL by achieving a century right away. He partnered with Karun Nair to build a crucial 86-run third-wicket partnership and later teamed up with Dhruv Jurel. While England Lions' Chris Woakes made early breakthroughs by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, Rahul and Nair stabilized the innings.

Jurel continued his good form with another fifty, contributing 52 runs to the total. However, England Lions made a late comeback when George Hill took wickets of Rahul and Jurel in quick succession. Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur held on until stumps under persistent rain. Brief Score: India A 319/7 (KL Rahul 116, Dhruv Jurel 52; Chris Woakes 3/50) vs England Lions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar