India A defeat England A by 55 runs

Bangalore: Dinesh Mongia got himself into contention for the Pakistan tour with a century against England A as India A won the match by 55 runs in Bangalore. A 209-run second wicket stand between Mongia and Sriram enabled the hosts pile up 324 for four in 50 overs after being put into bat at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In reply, England 'A' finished on 269 for 9 in 50 overs. The visitors tasted early success as opener Gautam Gambhir (13) departed early but Mongia who hit 12 fours in his 131-ball knock and Sriram whose 99-ball innings was studded with eight fours and one six, frustrated the rival attack, which clearly lacked sting. Sajid Mahmood picked up two wickets for 58 runs, while Kevin Pietersen and Graham Wagg scalped one each. Mithun Manhas remained unbeaten on 42 (30b, 4x4), and Jai Prakash Yadav contributed 30 (21b, 1x4, 2x6) as the Indians scored at a brisk pace with the touring bowlers struggling to make inroads. England went into the encounter with a depleted side as captain Alex Gidman and Test discard Simon Jones missed the tie due to injuries.