Tour match — Experienced seamer Ishant Sharma saw 41 runs scored off his first four wicketless overs, a spell that included six no-balls.
AFP – 10 hours ago
Dhoni (R) walks past Greg Smith (L) and Angus Robson in Leicester.
LEICESTER - A week after his older brother Sam made his maiden Test hundred for England against Sri Lanka, Angus Robson showed centuries run in the family by reaching three figures for Leicestershire against India on Saturday.
India's bowlers were given the run-around by Robson (126) and Greg Smith (101) in a second-wicket stand of 221 before both retired at tea, that took Leicestershire to 349 for five before a draw was agreed on the final day of three at Grace Road.
The one consolation for India was that if ever there was game to get the rust out of the system, this was probably it, as they had already declared on 333 for four on the first day of the opening game of their tour before rain washed out the second.
Experienced seamer Ishant Sharma, set to be a key member of India's attack in the upcoming five-Test series with England, saw 41 runs scored off his first four wicketless overs, a spell that included six no-balls.
The 22-year-old Angus Robson, watched by his Australia-born father and English-born mother Rosamunde, as was Sam at Headingley, gave his parents a fresh reason to be glad they didn't go home to Sydney after their older son's
disappointing Test debut at Lord's.
The Leicestershire opener was quickly into his work with all of his 11 boundaries in a run-a-ball 50 coming off Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball.
He carried on in similar fashion to race to a hundred in just 102 balls with 20 fours.
'SPECIAL DAY'
But the only downside for the Robson clan was that Angus was denied a maiden first-class hundred for Leicestershire when India stripped the match of its status by opting to use all 18 members of their squad, while only batting 11.
"It's been a pretty special day really," said Robson. "Mum and dad were both here all day. It's funny how it works out -- two Saturdays in a row, they've seen us both get hundreds.
"They're thrilled to bits... and I couldn't be happier."
As to whether Sam would pick his brains about India's bowlers ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Angus said: "I think he'll call me ... and might ask me a few things.
"I'm not sure I'm the man to tell him, but maybe I've seen something that can help."
Reflecting on the quickfire start to his innings, Robson said: "I've tried to add a few more shots to my game, and each time I seem to have scored a bit quicker.
"In a way, I'm a natural opener. But I like to get out of the blocks early...Thankfully it came off."
Robson also tried to put his innings in context by saying: "It is just a warm-up game for them (India), so they're still feeling their way into conditions and will probably be better for the run -- and I'm sure they'll keep improving.
"But it was obviously a great thrill to get runs against a Test attack."
India did manage an early wicket when Pankaj Singh, the pick of the seven seamers in their Test squad who all bowled Saturday, had Robson's opening partner Matthew Boyce brilliantly caught one-handed and above his head by third slip Ajinkya Rahane.
Smith, though, enured there was no respite for India's bowlers, completing a run-a-ball century with successive straight sixes off Ravindra Jadeja.
Both batsmen retired at tea but Dan Redfern (58) helped keep the runs coming before he was caught off Sharma at mid-wicket.
India's bowlers will look for an improved performance in their second and final warm-up fixture against Derbyshire before the first Test at Trent Bridge starting on July 9.
India's bowlers were given the run-around by Robson (126) and Greg Smith (101) in a second-wicket stand of 221 before both retired at tea, that took Leicestershire to 349 for five before a draw was agreed on the final day of three at Grace Road.
The one consolation for India was that if ever there was game to get the rust out of the system, this was probably it, as they had already declared on 333 for four on the first day of the opening game of their tour before rain washed out the second.
Experienced seamer Ishant Sharma, set to be a key member of India's attack in the upcoming five-Test series with England, saw 41 runs scored off his first four wicketless overs, a spell that included six no-balls.
The 22-year-old Angus Robson, watched by his Australia-born father and English-born mother Rosamunde, as was Sam at Headingley, gave his parents a fresh reason to be glad they didn't go home to Sydney after their older son's
disappointing Test debut at Lord's.
The Leicestershire opener was quickly into his work with all of his 11 boundaries in a run-a-ball 50 coming off Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball.
He carried on in similar fashion to race to a hundred in just 102 balls with 20 fours.
'SPECIAL DAY'
But the only downside for the Robson clan was that Angus was denied a maiden first-class hundred for Leicestershire when India stripped the match of its status by opting to use all 18 members of their squad, while only batting 11.
"It's been a pretty special day really," said Robson. "Mum and dad were both here all day. It's funny how it works out -- two Saturdays in a row, they've seen us both get hundreds.
"They're thrilled to bits... and I couldn't be happier."
As to whether Sam would pick his brains about India's bowlers ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Angus said: "I think he'll call me ... and might ask me a few things.
"I'm not sure I'm the man to tell him, but maybe I've seen something that can help."
Reflecting on the quickfire start to his innings, Robson said: "I've tried to add a few more shots to my game, and each time I seem to have scored a bit quicker.
"In a way, I'm a natural opener. But I like to get out of the blocks early...Thankfully it came off."
Robson also tried to put his innings in context by saying: "It is just a warm-up game for them (India), so they're still feeling their way into conditions and will probably be better for the run -- and I'm sure they'll keep improving.
"But it was obviously a great thrill to get runs against a Test attack."
India did manage an early wicket when Pankaj Singh, the pick of the seven seamers in their Test squad who all bowled Saturday, had Robson's opening partner Matthew Boyce brilliantly caught one-handed and above his head by third slip Ajinkya Rahane.
Smith, though, enured there was no respite for India's bowlers, completing a run-a-ball century with successive straight sixes off Ravindra Jadeja.
Both batsmen retired at tea but Dan Redfern (58) helped keep the runs coming before he was caught off Sharma at mid-wicket.
India's bowlers will look for an improved performance in their second and final warm-up fixture against Derbyshire before the first Test at Trent Bridge starting on July 9.
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