An impressive five-wicket haul by Manishi handed the India U19s the advantage on day one of the second Youth Test against SA U19 in Trivandrum on Tuesday.
The hosts ended the day trailing by 40 runs and with two just wickets down in their first innings. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, South Africa were dismissed for 152 in 54.4 overs, with newly-capped Manishi starring with figures of 5-58 in 17.4 overs. Debutant Ruan Terblanche (51) and Bryce Parsons (64) were the only standout performers with the willow for South Africa, both adding much-needed half-centuries to the team’s cause.
Compared to their first encounter, the visitors got off to a moderately steady start, thanks to Terblanche and Thamsanqa Kumalo putting on a 36-run opening stand. With the pair dealing aptly with the seamers, it was once again their frailties against spin that came to the fore.
Manishi made the first breakthrough, removing Kumalo for 13. That dismissal gave India the edge as a further three wickets fell before the end of the first session, Manishi delivering two more blows in the tourists’ batting order, with a run-out squeezed in between his two scalps. Captain Matthew Montgomery was the first to fall, trapped leg before for four runs before all-rounder Andile Mogakane (7) suffered an unfortunate run-out at the non-striker’s end after the ball ricochet off Rex Singh’s hand and went on to hit the stumps.
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The last wicket to fall before the interval was that of Bonga Makaka (2), who was clean bowled by the in-form spinner, his third scalp of the day as South Africa were reduced to 70-4 at lunch after facing 30 overs.
Despite losing partners around him, Terblanche remained resolute at the crease. He went on to bring up his maiden fifty soon after the break, having found an adequate ally in Parsons. The pair shared an explosive 53-run stand for the fifth wicket that included several boundaries before Terblanche was eventually sent back to the change room, bowled by Hrithik Shokeen (2-44).
South Africa lost their remaining wickets for just 31 runs. The numerous boundary finders involved in Parsons’ aggressive knock helped his side to a decent first innings score, but it was the spin-friendly conditions that brought the SA U19s their problems. Luke Beaufort (1), Nonelela Yikha (0) and Marco Jansen (4) fell victim to the spin duo of Manishi and Shokeen, with the former picking up two more wickets to seal his five-for.
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Running out of teammates to bat with following the run-out Siya Plaatjie (0), Parsons continued to hit the ball out of the ground on his way to his second half-century before he was also eventually run out after a 76-ball score of 64 (3×4, 5×6) to mark the end of the away side’s innings.
In reply, the home side lost an early wicket, and just as in the first Youth Test, had a batsman dismissed with the final ball of the day’s play. Speedster Lifa Ntanzi got Divyaansh Saxena caught at slip by Mogakane for two before his opening partner, Bhupendra Jaiswal, steadied the ship, notching up an unbeaten 81 off 109 balls (11 fours) in a 102-run partnership with Vathsal Sharma (25), before the latter fell to Mogakane as India finished on 112-2 after 34.5 overs.
Day two gets under way at the Greenfield International Stadium on Tuesday, 27 February from 9:30am local time (6am CAT).
Photo: Gallo
