Delhi: In the second match of the three-match unofficial ODI series played on Friday at Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khanderi in Rajkot, India A registered a one-sided victory by defeating South Africa A by 9 wickets. With this victory, India A has further strengthened its hold in the series.

South Africa A’s innings collapsed at 132

Batting first, the entire South Africa A team was all out for just 132 runs in 30.3 overs. The start of the team was not good. Although Luan-Dre Pretorius (21) and Rivaldo Moonsamy (33) made some efforts and tried to build a partnership, the Indian bowlers continued to put on pressure. The middle order completely faltered and no batsman was successful in getting the team out of trouble.

Deadly bowling of Nishant Sindhu and Harshit Rana

India A bowlers bowled very disciplined and accurate. Nishant Sindhu took 4 wickets for just 16 runs in 7 overs and broke the back of South Africa A’s batting. Harshit Rana took 3 wickets. Prasidh Krishna took 2 important wickets, while captain Tilak Verma also took one wicket. South Africa A’s batting was under pressure from the beginning and the team could not maintain the pace.

Chasing the target: Gaikwad’s unbeaten half-century

Chasing the target of 135 runs, India A got off to a fast and confident start. Opener Abhishek Sharma gave a fast start to the team by scoring 32 runs in just 22 balls. After this, Ruturaj Gaikwad, showing excellent form, played a match-winning inning of unbeaten 68 runs on 83 balls, which included 9 fours. Captain Tilak Verma supported Gaikwad by scoring 29 runs and the team reached the target in 27.5 overs.

India A’s strong hold in the series

With this victory, India A has taken a 2-0 lead in the series. By performing brilliantly, the young players have once again proved that they have justified the trust of the selectors.