Mumbai, Nov 4: Mumbai A crawled their way back in the afternoon session against a disciplined England bowling, reaching 110 for two on the second day the three-day warm-up game at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.
The home team garnered 36 runs in 15 overs in the first hour and 31 runs in 16 overs in the second for the loss of Shikhar Dhawan (27) after resuming at the lunchtime score of 43 for 1 in 18 overs.
At tea, England were still 235 runs behind the visitors first innings total of 345 for 9 declared with Cheteshwar Pujara (38)and Hiken Shah (30) the two unbeaten batsmen.
Pujara batted the entire session to add 24 runs to his lunch score of 14. In all, he hit just three fours.
The Saurashtra batsman's innings was not authoritative, as he hardly took any risks and was also lucky to be given a life on 22.
The other unbeaten batsman was the diminutive left-hander Hiken Shah. He has batted for close to two hours. Left-handed Dhawan was sent back by part-time off break bowler Joe Root.
Dhawan was not troubled much by the rival pace attack, but was also content to bide his time till he became overambitious to try for a second four against Root by trying to cut off the back foot and was consumed in slip by James Anderson.
His knock came off 59 balls and 80 minutes and had 5 fours in it.
But Anderson later let off Pujara at the same position off Monty Panesar, the left-arm spinner.
Panesar, who has the distinction of taking Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test victim, was unlucky not to have had the wicket of the number three batsman, who edged a sharply turning ball to Anderson which eluded the fielder's grasp and raced away for a four.
After the escape, Pujara totally eschewed risks after having shown some sort of aggression in the pre-lunch session, driving and cutting the bowlers for a few boundaries.
In the morning, Mumbai A dismissed three England batsmen quickly while conceding just seven runs before the visitors declared their first innings closed.
The batsmen dismissed this morning after England resumed at 338 for six were overnight not out batsmen Samit Patel (60), stand-in captain Stuart Broad (6) and Graham Onions (0).
England declared at 345 for 9 after 34 minutes of play and in the remaining time to lunch Mumbai A made 43 for the loss of opener Bhavin Thakkar (5 in 38 balls).
Earlier, Mumbai A new ball bowlers Shardul Thakur and Kshemal Waingankar polished off three tourists batsmen for the addition of seven runs.
Thakur bagged two of the three wickets that fell before England declared their innings closed at the fall of Graham Onions to Thakur in the last ball of the eighth over.
Thakur, who finished with 3 for 53, sent back left-handed Broad, who fell leg before, and Onions, who was caught behind, in the space of 12 balls.
Waingankar packed off overnight unbeaten batsman Samit Patel, who added just one run, to add to the two wickets he grabbed yesterday for innings figures of three for 72.
