IND-A vs SA-A, 1st One-Day: Aggressive batting line-ups collide in high-scoring Rajkot as Tilak’s India-A faces South Africa-A

Consistency is the hallmark of a good team and system, be it an international side or a domestic outfit. And when it comes to the India ‘A’ squad, consistency in selection, well-defined roles, and an overall template reflect both immediate and long-term plans — the development of players against testing oppositions such as South Africa ‘A’.

The two sides meet in a three-match one-day series in Rajkot, in western India, while, simultaneously, their seniors face off in a two-Test series on the opposite side of the country. Though the focus will largely be on Kolkata and Guwahati, the selectors’ attention will also be drawn to the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

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India ‘A’ played three one-day games against Australia ‘A’ in Kanpur in October, and the management has retained eight members from that squad for the series starting on Thursday. The team is largely composed of players who have either excelled in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or shown consistency on the domestic circuit.

The matches against Australia ‘A’ revealed the management’s inclination towards building an attacking batting unit. Prabhsimran Singh and Riyan Parag took an aggressive route, irrespective of the situation. Even though Abhishek Sharma couldn’t make much of an impact in Kanpur, his usual opening act aligns with the team’s preferred approach.

This time around, Ruturaj Gaikwad has joined the mix, along with Ishan Kishan. While the wicketkeeper-batter thrives on taking the attacking option, Gaikwad’s anchoring style serves as a like-for-like replacement for Shreyas Iyer in this ‘A’ squad. Tilak Varma has been appointed captain in place of Iyer, who led the team in Kanpur.

Like the batting, the bowling department, led by Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, also has some international experience. These are crucial times for Khaleel Ahmed, who has had a sedate start to his season, having picked just nine wickets in 11 innings.

Abhishek, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep, and Khaleel were absent from the team’s practice session on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen whether any of the above will skip the first game.

South Africa ‘A’ enters this format on the back of a stunning chase against the same opponent last week in Bengaluru, where it overhauled a 417-run target in the four-day fixture led by Jordan Hermann and Marques Ackerman.

The core group of the visiting team has also remained largely unchanged this year, with Ackerman leading from the front and the Hermann brothers — Jordan and Rubin — scoring runs consistently.

“Each player has different strengths, it’s about backing your ability, whatever template that is: cautious or more aggressive upfront. Every game is a different game, so you have to start again,” captain Ackerman said on the eve of the first one-day.

Another key aspect is the template: South Africa, too, is following an aggressive batting approach, scoring at 6.84 runs every over this year. The addition of 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius — highly rated and already capped across formats — adds further depth and power to its batting lineup.

“There are a lot of exciting young guys coming through the ranks. Good to see guys like Lhuan coming down after the Pakistan tour. Hopefully he’ll fire for us tomorrow,” Ackerman added.

Pacers Okuhle Cele and Tshepo Moreki have been among the wickets whenever they’ve played, including in the recent multi-day games against India ‘A’, where they picked six wickets each across two matches.

But it will be a test for the bowlers on both sides. Recent history suggests this venue tends to produce high-scoring pitches, and with both teams stacked with attacking batters, even a total of 350 may not be safe.

THE SQUADS

India ‘A’: Ishan Kishan(w), Riyan Parag, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ayush Badoni, Prabhsimran Singh, Manav Suthar, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Harshit Rana, Vipraj Nigam, Nitish Reddy.

South Africa ‘A’: Jason Smith, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lhuan-dre Pretorius(w), Marques Ackerman (c), Codi Yusuf, Jordan Hermann, Mihlali Mpongwana, Bjorn Fortuin, Nqabayomzi Peter, Delano Potgieter, Ottneil Baartman, Rubin Hermann, Tshepo Moreki, Kwena Maphaka, Rivaldo Moonsamy.

Published on Nov 12, 2025