For India A, the ambition will be to take wickets, something which has been tough throughout this match. Their bowlers haven’t enjoyed the same joy as their batters did on day one of the contest, with none of the young pace corps stepping up to take initiative and really manufacture something special. Anshul Kamboj did impress with right line-and-length bowling, but India A will be disappointed with Mukesh Kumar and Harshit Rana conceding at more than 5 runs per over during their spell.

India A also tried out plenty of spin, Harsh Dubey bowling the most overs for them on day two, and while that resulted in a wicket, the Ranji Trophy season’s leading wicket-taker didn’t find the same consistent joy. With Max Holden attacking from one end and Haines holding strong, India really need to figure out how to crack the code and find quick wickets on the morning of day two, otherwise risk throwing away the excellent start provided by Karun Nair and company. England Lions will score, and score quick like the senior team, and inasmuch could prove to be a big threat.

The positive for India will be the ability to attack England Lions during the morning session, which is certainly when the ball is moving the most and the bowlers present the most threat. It will present an opportunity to put some pressure on the batters. If not, this match will likely meander its way to a draw with only two days of play left. It will be more important from an Indian perspective to get back in to bat so that Yashasvi Jaiswal can get more time in the middle and get accustomed to English conditions, and facing bowlers used to them, as well as Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had a poor showing in the first innings.