BENGALURU: Just before 3 pm on a sunny Saturday, Rishabh Pant (64 batting) walked in with his trademark swagger. He made an immediate impact, hitting Okuhle Cele for consecutive boundaries in the first over he faced: one over mid-off and another down the line. India ‘A’ were struggling at 32/3 after Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Mhatre, and Devdutt Padikkal lost their stumps cheaply. One might have expected the skipper to play cautiously, but Pant remained instinctive and aggressive while respecting the conditions.Set 275 for victory by South Africa ‘A’ at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Pant led a determined fightback with Rajat Patidar (28) on the penultimate day of the opener.
The hosts were 119/4 at stumps, needing 156 runs for victory on what promises to be an exciting final day.On a day when 15 wickets fell, South Africa ‘A’ started the day at 30 for no loss but folded up for 199. Gurnoor Brar (2/40) gave the home side an early breakthrough in the third over, with Jordan Hermann flicking into the hands of Manav Suthar at midwicket.Barring Lesego Senokwane and Zubayr Hamza, who both scored 37 each, none of the batters spent enough time at the crease. A quickfire 43-ball 42 partnership between Tshepo Moreki (25) and Prenelan Subrayen for the eighth wicket was crucial for the away side. Tanush Kotian returned 4 for 26, while Anshul Kamboj accounted for three wickets.PANT PUNCHFor the 130 minutes Pant was at the crease, he packed it with all that he is known for– energy, cheeky shots and streaky singles. He kept the groundstaff and the fielders busy, sending the ball all around the park.Pant took charge of the rebuilding process as Patidar took a while to settle down. Pant’s innings was that of aggression matched with patience.He sent a shortish delivery from off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen over the covers for a six, and was content defending for the next few overs. To arrest the lull, Pant again picked Subrayen, stepping out to launch him over midwicket for a maximum.Both the senior batters were handed lifelines. Patidar was dropped by Jordan in the slips when he was on seven, while Pant was put down on 46 by Okuhle Cele at deep fine leg off Tiaan Van Vuuren’s bowling, which could prove costly for the visitors.Pant brought up his 50 in 65 deliveries with a boundary through covers.With their partnership going strong, Patidar (28) decided to gift his wicket just before stumps. His ramp shot went straight to wicketkeeper Rivaldo Moonsamy.Brief scores: South Africa ‘A’: 309 & 199 (Lesego Senokwane 37, Zubayr Hamza 37, Tshepo Moreki 25; Anshul Kamboj 3-39, Gurnoor Brar 2-40, Tanush Kotian 4-26) vs India ‘A’ 234 & 119/4 in 39 overs (Rajat Patidar 28, Rishabh Pant 64 batting; Tshepo Moreki 2-12).
