India A vs South Africa A, 3rd Unofficial ODI
Kuch matches hote hain jahan toss jeetne ke baad lagta hai haan yeh sahi decision hai and India A bhi fielding choose karte hi confident hi lag rahe the. Par Rajkot ka Niranjan Shah Stadium kabhi-kabhi batting paradise ban jaata hai, especially jab SA A ka top order itna tuned ho. First 10 overs me hi 73 without loss and tab samajh aa gaya tha ke aaj yeh script thoda one-sided jaa sakta hai.Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rivaldo Moonsamy literally bina pressure ke batting kar rahe the… jaise net session hi ho. Pretorius ka approach thoda flashy, thoda intent-heavy and Moonsamy pura anchor mode. Rarely aise partnerships dekhne ko milte hain jahan dono openers ek-do chhote patches ke alawa kabhi uncomfortable nahi dikhte.
Middle Overs: Runs Ka Flow Bilkul Ruka Hi Nahi
20 overs tak SA A 99/0 and waha se 30 overs pe 182/0… matlab India A ke bowlers ka plan A, plan B and even plan C sab fail. Ab hisaab simple tha: ya to breakthrough milta ya 350 ke upar jaata.
Par ‘breakthrough’ wala option bada stubborn nikla. Prasidh Krishna and Khaleel Ahmed tempo control karne ki koshish kar rahe the but boundaries kahin na kahin se aa ja rahi thi. Pretorius ne 93 runs banaye 78 balls me… thoda unlucky laga hundred miss karna par team ke liye perfect platform set kar diya.
Moonsamy bhi 80 runs bana ke gaya with that slow-steady style jo chasing team ko mentally exhaust kar deta hai. Ek point par laga ke SA A 400 ke mood me hai but India A ne last 10 overs me thoda comeback kiya.
Delano Potgieter ka cameo… uff. 30 off 15. Woh hi final push tha jisse score 325 par land kiya.
India A Ka Chase: Hope Se Fear And Fir Collapse Mode
Chase ka start decent tha: 52/2 in 10 overs. Ruturaj 23 runs, Abhishek thoda jaldi nikal gaye. Par the real bridge between hope and despair Ishan Kishan tha. Jab wo batting kar raha tha lag raha tha kuch ho sakta hai, tempo build ho sakta hai.
99/4 at 20 overs… yeh woh score hai jahan chase possible bhi hota hai and impossible bhi lagta hai depending on next partnership.
Ishan and Ayush Badoni ne thoda balance create kiya. Ishan ka 46 off 59 thoda slow lag sakta hai but pitch pe SA A bowlers pace mix kar rahe the and uske against stability important thi. Badoni 38 off 40… ek stage tak lag raha tha ke agar yeh partnership 20 overs aur kheech leti to match momentum flip kar sakta tha.
Par 156/4 se 206/8 → yeh hi woh moment tha jahan match India A ke haath se nikal gaya. SA A bowlers discipline se dot balls, cutters, bouncers sab mix kar rahe the.
Prasidh ko 4 off 6 and Manav Suthar 1 off 4… basically end me koi resistance bacha hi nahi.
And 252 all out 49.1 overs me… 73 run loss.
SA A Ki Bowling: Not Flashy But Very Smart
Tshepo Moreki and Lutho Sipamla ne jitne quietly kaam kiya utna hi impact diya. Fortuin ne ekdum sajhedaar spell daala jisme economy maintain hui and pressure banaya. Potgieter all-round show complete kar gaye.
India A ko laga hoga ke second innings me dew help karegi par bowlers ki accuracy ne pura plan hi ulta kar diya.
A Few “Yeh Yad Rahega” Moments
: Pretorius aur Moonsamy ka 182-run opening stand match ka turning point tha
: Potgieter ka 30*(15)... late boost but high value
: Ishan Kishan ka fight jab chase ka pura load unke shoulders par aa chuka tha
: India A ka mid-overs collapse… sach bolu to yahi sabse big reason defeat ka
Conclusion: Learning Match For India A, Statement Match For SA A
South Africa A ne yeh match sirf jeeta nahi… ek statement diya that their bench strength serious hai. India A ke liye yeh woh match hai jahan result se zyada learning points milenge: bowling plans ki clarity, partnerships sustain karne ki mindset and pressure-handling.
Chasing 325 is not impossible but it needs one big innings, ek proper anchor and ek finisher. Yeh teeno is chase me separate pockets me aaye par ek saath nahi.
Rajkot ka din South Africa A ka hi tha.