Leicester India’s Shikhar Dhawan gave his side cause for concern after suffering an arm injury during the team’s opening match of their tour of England against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Thursday.
Test opener Dhawan retired hurt for 60 after being hit by a short ball from left-arm seamer Atif Shaikh. But otherwise India were largely untroubled in reaching 214 for two at tea on the first day of this three-day tour match, with Gautam Gambhir (54) also making a fifty.
The match lost its first-class status after Leicestershire agreed to India’s request to play as many of their 18-man squad as they wished.
However, the tourists — coached by former England boss Duncan Fletcher — will only bat 11.
Leicestershire, right at the bottom of the two-division County Championship table and without a win in nine matches this season, fielded a second-string team. Nevertheless they still nearly dismissed Dhawan for a duck when, after India won the toss on a green-tinged pitch, the first over of the match saw Dan Redfern unable to hold a head-high chance at third slip off the bowling of Anthony Ireland.
Dhawan went on to complete a 79-ball fifty, including 10 fours.
India lost their first wicket on 46 when Murali Vijay edged a swinging Ireland delivery to gully. Dhawan got to fifty shortly before lunch but went off early in the second session when a Shaikh bouncer that didn’t climb as much as he expected hit him near the elbow.
Gambhir got to his half-century in 95 balls before retiring to allow fellow top-order batsman Virat Kohli some time in the middle.
After this match, India make the short journey to Derby for another three-day warm-up fixture before remaining in the Midlands for the first of a five-Test series against England at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground.
