Manish Pandey hit an unbeaten 95 for India B in their 30-run victory over South Africa A in a rain-affected match in Bengaluru on Thursday.
It was the first match that the South Africans had played and completed after the quadrangular series (which also includes India A and Australia A) had to be moved from Vijayawada to Bengaluru after ceaseless rain saw four matches rained out without a ball being bowled.
The visitors posted 231 runs on the board in 47.3 overs after they were put in to bat first. Senuran Muthusamy and Farhaan Behardien top-scored with 55 and 43 respectively, while also sharing a 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket after a top-order collapse saw their side reduced to 57-4 in the first 13 overs. Other contributions in their 20s came from opener Gihahn Cloete (25) and tail-enders Malusi Siboto (26) and Dane Paterson (25).
India B’s Prasidh Krishna (4-49) and Shreyas Gopal (3-42) took seven wickets between them as they ploughed their way through the South African line-up.
Rain disrupted the match which saw it reduced to a 45-over affair with the hosts needing 220 to win.
Their reply did not get off to the most solid start either, losing opening batsman Mayak Agarwal and number three Deepak Hooda for a respective seven and four, both at the hands of Paterson (2-33) in the sixth over. Pandey entered the fray and spearheaded an 88-run, fourth-wicket stand with the other opener Shubman Gill (42) which set their side back on track. The rain came again, interrupting their progress as Pandey sat through the losses of Gill, Ishan Kishan (24) and Kedar Jadhav (23), but it was a comfortable win for the home side in the end.
South Africa ‘A’s next fixture is against their Australian counterpart on 25 August at 5:30am SAST.
Photo: Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
