India, June 14 -- Ever since he landed in England a little more than a week ago, KL Rahul has been in red-hot form with the bat. continued his rich vein of form. After hitting 116 and 51 for India A against England Lions in the second practice match at Northampton, Rahul took another giant step in his preparation for the five-match Test series against England by hitting a half-century in the India vs India A intra-squad warm-up match at Beckenham on Friday.

The four-day warm-up match, which does not have first-class status, is India's last chance of getting a match-like feel before the Test series next week. The Indian team management decided to keep it a closed-door affair, restricting any broadcaster and media personnel at the venue. T...