IND-A vs SA-A, 2nd one-dayer: Gaikwad fifty, Nishant four-fer help India A ease to series win
India-A clinched an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day series against South Africa-A in Rajkot, producing a commanding all-round performance to chase down a modest 132-run target with ease at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Sunday.
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his good run with an unbeaten 68 off 83 balls, stitching an unbeaten 82-run stand with captain Tilak Varma (29 not out) to finish the job in 27.5 overs, after Nishant Sindhu (4/16) and Harshit Rana (3/21) set the game up for India-A.
Gaikwad sealed the chase with a boundary through the covers, much to the delight of a nearly 18,000-strong crowd waving flashlights.
The chase began with authority. Abhishek Sharma lofted two boundaries over point in the opening over, and Gaikwad joined in with successive fours off Lutho Sipamla. In the eighth over, Sipamla removed Abhishek for a brisk 32 off 22, but Gaikwad responded with another pair of boundaries, ensuring no shift in momentum.
Tilak Varma settled in calmly, driving leg-spinner Nqaba Peter straight down the ground for his first four. With only a modest target to scale down, the Gaikwad–Tilak partnership helped India-A cruise home without much fuss. The visitor attempted to tighten the screws through the middle overs with close-in fielders, but the duo’s measured approach ensured a straightforward finish.
Earlier, South Africa-A, opting to bat first, made a bright start as Rivaldo Moonsamy and Lhuan-dre Pretorius struck a boundary in each of the first six overs. At 39 for 0, the visitor appeared well-placed for a competitive total. But Harshit Rana’s introduction triggered a dramatic collapse as the pacer made good use of slower deliveries and bouncers to keep the batters guessing.
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The seamer dismissed Pretorius off a mistimed pull, and despite Moonsamy’s brief counterattack — including three boundaries off Arshdeep Singh — India-A clawed back swiftly. Nishant Sindhu removed Moonsamy for 33 to open the floodgates.
Rana followed up with a double strike, removing captain Marques Ackerman and Jordan Hermann — the latter thanks to Ayush Badoni’s excellent balancing act on the rope — reducing South Africa-A to 71 for four. Sindhu then picked up a simple return catch off Sinethemba Qeshile, and although Dian Forrester injected some momentum with a pair of pulls, wickets continued to fall.
Tilak Varma dismissed Forrester for 23 with his off-spin. Prasidh Krishna returned to remove Delano Potgieter and later Prenelan Subrayen, before Sindhu wrapped up the tail to finish with four wickets. The visitor crashed from 59 for one to 132 all out in 30.3 overs — a total which was never going to be enough to stage a fightback.
Published on Nov 16, 2025
