Stuart Binny smashed eight fours and one six en route to his knock of 78 runs in the final innings of the first Test.Getty Images
Stuart Binny raised eyebrows when he was drafted into the squad for India's ongoing tour of England. Aged 30, he has never been called up to feature in a Test match and was handed the cap for the game at Trent Bridge.
The Bangalore-born player made his debut for Duncan Fletcher's side earlier this year during the New Zealand tour. He was also part of the squad that toured Bangladesh for a three-match one-day international series, featuring in the final two matches.
Although Binny failed to impress with the bat in the second ODI, he took six wickets in 4.4 overs conceding just four runs to wrap up Richard Pybus's side's innings for 58 runs.
The right-handed batsman and medium-paced bowler has been involved in first-class cricket since November 2003. Before the first Test against England, Binny featured in the warm-up match against Derbyshire, helping M S Dhoni's men beat their English counterparts by five wickets.
He bowled 15 overs in all and took two wickets in both innings and smashed 81 runs off 111 deliveries to help India respond strongly in their first innings. Binny's performance in the first innings was lacklustre, scoring just one run.
However, the Rajasthan Royals's IPL player made up by hitting 78 in the second innings to salvage a draw for his team. His performance is bound to help him remain in contention to be part of the second Test squad at Lord's beginning on Thursday.
IPL track record
In this year's IPL, he played in all but one of his team's14 matches and scored his highest-ever knock of 48 in the tournament in the Royals's first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
After that match, despite batting in 12 innings, Binny only managed to add 75 runs to his total.
One would have wondered whether his father and former Indian cricketer, Roger Binny, who is currently a selector for the national side, played an influential role in the inclusion of the all-rounder, especially because the junior Binny has been highly inconsistent in domestic cricket.
However, following his match-saving knock in the first Test, he is out to prove that the selectors have not erred in recruiting him for the tour.
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