how did Simon Keene turn India A’s batting lineup into an absolute ghost town on Day 1?
Keene’s Wrecking Ball: India A Collapses Hard in the First Innings
Look, if you blinked for two seconds during the opening day of this unofficial Test match, you probably missed half of India A’s batting order walking right back to the dugout! Simon Keene came out looking like a guy who had somewhere else to be, tearing through India’s lineup with a masterclass spell of 5 wickets for just 24 runs. Absolute cinema, man!
India A got rolled over for a paltry 113 runs. Aside from a decent scrap by Yash Rathod (44) and Devdutt Padikkal (32), the rest of the boys were playing like they had wet noodles for bats. Keene was dropping heat and swinging the ball like he was auditioning for a Hollywood action movie. Every time he ran up to the crease, another Indian batter was shaking his head walking off.
In American sports terms, this was like watching a heavyweight champ catch a rookie sleeping in the first round. Keene didn't just bowl; he dismantled a whole nation's hopes in one afternoon. If you’re gonna travel all the way across the world to play cricket, getting dismantled for 113 is definitely not what you put on the vision board!