KS Bharat puts Ishan further under the pump with match-saving hundred for India A against England Lions

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KS Bharat hit an unbeaten hundred to guide India to a heroic draw in the first Unofficial Test against England Lions on Saturday, January 20 in Ahmedabad. India had six wickets in hand and were left with 331 runs to chase on the final day.

On the final Day 4, Sai Sudharsan missed out on a hundred by just three runs. He scored 97 runs off 208 balls and took India past 200. The Indian scorecard read 219/5 as he walked bat to the pavilion and the danger of a defeat loomed.

However, wicketkeeper-batter brought up his A-game, taking England by surprise. He scored 116 unbeaten runs off just 165 deliveries. The innings from the right-hand batter consisted of 15 fours.

Manav Suthar also played a key role and stood rock solid to face 254 deliveries and score unbeaten 89 runs. The mighty effort from India led by the efforts from Sudharsan, Suthar and Bharat deprived England Lions of a win and 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

The hundred from KS Bharat is a welcome news for India in the lead up to the 5-Test series against England. He has been named in the squad for the first two Test matches.

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan has been put further under the pump after the knock from Bharat. Kishan pulled off his name from the India squad for the Test series against South Africa due to personal reasons.

Reports revealed that the 25-year-old opted for a break to get rid of his mental fatigue. Another report later claimed that Kishan wasn't picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan due to disciplinary reasons. As per the report, the management and the BCCI was not impressed to see Kishan partying in Dubai after pulling out of the South Africa Tests.

Dravid quashed the reports, but Kishan absence from the India squad for first two Tests and the addition of Dhruv Jurel as the third wicketkeeper-batter in the squad further sparked rumours of discord between Ishan Kishan and the Indian team management.

KL Rahul is already India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter at the moment, and the hundred from KS Bharat is further expected to make Kishan's comeback difficult. Kishan is yet to play a Ranji Trophy match for Jharkhand this season despite Dravid clearly stating that the southpaw will have to return to domestic cricket before making himself available.

Bharat will join the Indian Test team now and miss the second Unofficial Test which starts from January 24. The third match will start from February 1. The remaining two matches will also be played in Ahmedabad.