IND-A vs SA-A, 3rd one-dayer: Pretorious, Moonsamy centuries set up South Africa A’s concinving win
South Africa-A walked off with a convincing 73-run win in the third and final one-day match, with its batting firepower and improved bowling effort finally aligning to topple India-A at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Wednesday.
The visitor produced the complete performance it had been searching for, riding on a mammoth 241-run opening partnership between centurions Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rivaldo Moonsamy, before their bowlers applied sustained pressure to bowl out India-A for 252. The result ensured South Africa-A avoided a clean sweep with India-A taking the series 2-1.
Chasing 326, India-A began steadily with Ruturaj Gaikwad timing the ball sweetly, but wickets at regular intervals derailed the pursuit. Abhishek Sharma fell attempting a pull off Tshepo Moreki, while captain Tilak Varma scratched for his 11 off 23 before getting bowled looking to cut.
Gaikwad’s promising start ended when Bjorn Fortuin beat him through the gate, leaving India-A at 57 for three. Riyan Parag, after a powerful start and an early reprieve, couldn’t kick on and departed soon after, deepening the trouble.
The only meaningful resistance came through a fluent 88-run stand between Ishan Kishan and Ayush Badoni, who rebuilt carefully before shifting gears. Kishan’s half-century arrived via a crisp cut, while Badoni showcased superb touch and control in his own well-crafted fifty.
Just as India-A looked to be clawing back, Nqaba Peter’s leg spin cracked the chase open. Kishan miscued a lofted stroke, Badoni top-edged a slog to fall for an impressive 66, Harshit Rana departed first ball, and Fortuin returned to bowl Nishant Sindhu. From 160 for four, India-A unravelled quickly and never threatened the target.
Peter’s four for 48 led the bowling effort, with Moreki and Fortuin chipping in to keep India-A under constant pressure in the middle overs. Though Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna swung freely late on, Marques Ackerman’s men had already seized control.
IND-A vs SA-A, 3rd one day – As it happened
Earlier, asked to bat, South Africa-A produced a near-flawless top-order display despite the 9 AM start, powered by a blistering stand from Pretorius and Moonsamy. Pretorius was the early aggressor, unfurling authoritative drives and punishing anything remotely wide on his way to a 39-ball half-century. Moonsamy played the anchor initially but found rhythm through the middle overs.
India-A’s new-ball pair – Khaleel Ahmed and Prasidh Krishna – lacked consistency, and Harshit Rana’s no-ball reprieve for Moonsamy only added to the frustration.
With the spinners unable to extract any grip, the openers continued untroubled. Pretorius reached his century in 98 balls before cutting loose, hammering three consecutive sixes off Badoni in the 35th over. Moonsamy brought up his ton in 123 balls, celebrating with back-to-back boundaries.
Prasidh finally broke the massive stand in the 38th over, trapping Moonsamy for 107 and dismissing Pretorius for 123 in the same over. Rana and Khaleel added late strikes, but Delano Potgieter’s lively 30 off 15 balls ensured South Africa-A finished with a commanding 325/6 – a total that proved well beyond India-A on the day.
Published on Nov 19, 2025
