WATCH: Matthew Fisher of Yorkshire CCC nets four-wicket haul for England Lions

Yorkshire bowler Fisher probed away at the top of off and exploited a hint of movement with the new ball to take the first four Indian wickets before the hosts lurched to 50-6 in the 14th over.

Rajat Patidar was a class apart, though, and batted masterfully to go to stumps on day two on 140 not out from his side’s 215-8, still 338 adrift of the Lions, who declared on 553-8.

Josh Bohannon followed up Lancashire team-mate Keaton Jennings’ impressive 154 with a century of his own, the Lions captain converting his overnight 93 to three figures before being dismissed for 125.

Bohannon’s downfall was the start of a wobble that saw a slip from 433-3 to 469-8, with Dan Mousley, who had caught the eye with 68 before being run out, among the cluster of wickets.

But an unbroken stand of 84 from Matthew Potts (44 not out) and Jack Carson (53no) lifted the tourists to 500 and beyond. Carson’s clean hitting saw him collect six fours and two sixes in an aggressive 35-ball knock before he and Potts were called in midway through the afternoon.

If there was a hint of fortune at Fisher striking with his first delivery when a loosener strangled Sai Sudharsan down leg, the Yorkshireman made hay by bowling Abhimanyu Easwaran through the gate.

Sarfaraz Khan attempted to leave, only to see his off-stump knocked back, while Pradosh Ranjan Paul got into a tangle and a leading edge ballooned to mid-on to leave India four down after eight overs.

On a pitch that is drying out, fellow quick Potts and left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson took a couple of wickets apiece, but Patidar was immovable and he was neither rushed nor troubled in a classy knock.

The No 3 batter, who thumped 18 fours and five sixes in a 132-ball innings, will be the key wicket as the Lions try to drive home a dominant position in this four-day fixture.

England’s much-anticipated Test tour of India will be televised in the UK by TNT Sports, which has signed a deal to screen the series just a week out from when the first ball is due to be bowled.

A spokesperson for TNT confirmed to the PA news agency that the broadcaster has agreed a five-year contract to exclusively show India’s home series in all formats, which includes England’s next white-ball trip in early 2025 and another Test tour at a date to be determined.

The possibility of a UK blackout for the upcoming five-match series between teams ranked second and third in the world, starting on January 25 in Hyderabad, has therefore been averted.

India remains by far the sport’s most lucrative market but deals with the country’s governing body have often gone to the wire, with rights distributors eager to recoup sizeable initial outlays.

When England last toured the country for a Test series, in 2021, a similar situation unfolded and ended in an 11th-hour bid from Channel 4 as it made an unexpected re-entry into the market.

But with the terrestrial channel pumping resources into this year’s Paralympics, there was understood to be no interest in a similar move this time around, leaving Sky Sports and TNT as the other outlets.

Sky was the de facto home of all England tours between 1990 and 2017 but TNT has shown the last two Ashes series in Australia and stepped in to screen Jos Buttler’s white-ball team in the Caribbean last month.

Having secured this marquee series, TNT seems likely to take the world commentary feed and assemble a studio team in the UK given the short turnaround. TalkSPORT holds the radio rights.