India A vs England Lions | Lions coach Andy Flower feels that any tour of India is a great experience

India A vs England Lions | Lions coach Andy Flower feels that any tour of India is a great experience

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India A won the unofficial Test series 1-0 as England Lions were wrapped up inside three days during the 2nd Test, after the first one ended in a draw. Even after the humiliating loss, head coach Andy Flower still feels that there were many positives to take away from the series defeat.

India A won the second unofficial Test by an innings and 68 runs as the visiting England Lions team was brought down on their knees in the space of just three days eventually giving India A a 1-0 series victory.

Earlier, England Lions also lost the One Day Series 4-1 against this formidable Indian A side which consisted the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.

But Interestingly for England Lions Coach Andy Flower any tour of the subcontinent is a great experience and there are lots of things that can be learnt.

“Any tour of India is a great experience and there were lots of learnings in those five weeks,” he told The Hindu after the second unofficial ‘Test’.

The South Africa-born former Zimbabwe cricketer said it was all about getting used to sub-continent conditions, which is a big part of touring India.

The pitch used in the match wasn't one of those rank- turners but surely had much assistance to spinners rather than the quicks, with Indian spinners taking 13 of the 20 England Lion's wickets,

But Lion's pacer Zak Chappell stood out with a brilliant 4-60 in the first innings, to help his team restrict India A to a score of under 400. Talking about the track behaviour at the SDNRW Grounds which hosted the second ‘Test’ between the two teams, he said seeing a pitch like this had been a good experience. 

“It turned from day two, but the conditions were at its best on the first day. Losing the toss was something and it was difficult for our bowlers to get a lot from a pitch that was quite slow.” he said.

“Zak Chappell bowled with good pace and we have seen him grow in confidence and skill in every game. We also get to the know the other players and how they respond to pressure situations under foreign conditions. Like how the Indian coaching staff give their feedback to the selectors, the same goes for us,” he added.

Flower also pointed out that the ‘A’ tours are invaluable in providing the bridge between First Class, domestic and international cricket. 

“It is hard to replicate a full Test or an ODI match with a big crowd but what you get to see here is peer-against-peer competition. Also, the best of the emerging talent from various countries go head-to-head against each other.” he said.

“I think the programmes between the ‘A’ sides are quite important. For the Indian youngsters who toured England last year for the `A’ series, it must have been a good experience. The more they tour the better will they shape up,” he added.

“Guys like Sam Billings and Ben Duckett (England Lions) would have wanted to score heavily in the series and put themselves in the forefront of the selectors mind. Sometimes it does not work but at the end they would get to be knowledgeable and wiser,” Flower concluded.

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