Ruturaj Gaikwad roared with the bat and led India-A to a thrilling four-wicket win over South Africa-A with a splendid century in the first unofficial one-day match at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on November 13. Chasing a target of 286, India-A got off to a quick start with Gaikwad and opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored a brisk 31 off 25 balls, putting on a 64-run partnership.
Ruturaj Gaikwad anchors India-A to win over SA A
Despite Riyan Parag's early dismissal and the steadying influence of captain Tilak Varma, it was Gaikwad who blended poise with precision, crafting a sublime 117 that kept the chase on track. His magnificent innings, studded with 12 fours, ended when he was bowled by Tiaan Van Vuuren while attempting another boundary, leaving the team 68 runs short of the target.
With Gaikwad's departure, the responsibility of closing out the match fell to the lower middle order. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Nishant Sindhu rose to the occasion, delivering quick, vital cameos to ensure the successful completion of the chase. Reddy's aggressive approach was marked by a cracking cover drive and a six launched off spinner Bjorn Fortuin, contributing a valuable 37 runs. Sindhu provided excellent support, playing neat pulls and drives on his way to an unbeaten 29. Their crucial 65-run partnership capitalised on a somewhat erratic South Africa-A fielding performance, ultimately taking India-A home with just three balls to spare.
Gaikwad roars with scintillating century
The cornerstone of India-A's successful run chase was the composed innings by Ruturaj Gaikwad. He anchored the effort, notching a run-a-ball fifty before maintaining the strike and capitalizing on every loose delivery. A crucial 89-run partnership for the third wicket with Tilak Varma stabilized the innings, though Varma's scratchy knock of 39 eventually ended with a top-edged pull. Gaikwad went on to register a fluent century off 118 balls, bringing up the milestone with a powerful pull shot over midwicket and following it up immediately with an upper cut for four.
After Gaikwad's heroics, the momentum was sustained by a quick cameo from Ishan Kishan. The lower middle order then efficiently finished the job, successfully wrapping up the chase in the final over of the match.
Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana dazzle with two-fers
Earlier in the day, the South Africa-A innings had faced a disastrous start, collapsing to a precarious 16 for four after a fiery opening spell from the India-A pacers. Arshdeep Singh (2/59) and Prasidh Krishna (1/57) were responsible for tearing through the top order. However, the visitors mounted a strong recovery thanks to an outstanding fifth-wicket stand of 113 runs between Delano Potgieter, who scored 90, and Dian Forrester, who contributed 77. This vital partnership revived the innings, enabling South Africa-A to post a challenging total of 285/9.