Published: Sep 04, 2019, 06:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 04, 2019, 06:35 PM (IST)
Shikhar Dhawan‘s fluency stood out before rain pushed the fourth unofficial ODI between India A and South Africa A to Thursday. With nine wickets in hand, the hosts will look to knock off the 137 runs required in 17.2 overs for their fourth successive win.
India A were 56 for 1 in 7.4 overs with Dhawan (33) and Prashant Chopra (6) at the crease when the skies opened up. The India opener struck six boundaries during his 21-ball unbeaten knock.
After a stuttering start, Dhawan found his touch and hit some superb shots through the off-side.
Earlier, sent in to bat by the home team captain Shreyas Iyer, South Africa A made 137 for one in 25 overs in a rain-affected game.
After play started late, heavy showers forced the players indoors with the visitors at 108/1 in 22 overs. The game was then reduced to a 25 overs-a-side affair and SA A added 29 more runs. The revised target for India A was 193 in 25 overs.
Heinrich Klaasen’s (21) late assault and Reeza Hendricks (60) helped the visiting team to finish with a flourish. The big-hitting Klaasen hit Ishan Porel for two consecutive sixes in the penultimate over and looked good for more.
However, Tushar Deshpande bowled a dream final over, with five consecutive dot balls to Klaasen.
Matthew Breetzke (25) and Hendricks provided a bright start, hitting some lovely shots. Breetzke hit a superb six over covers off Deshpande, which stood out. India A lead the five-match ODI series 3-0.
Brief scores: India A 56/1 (Shikhar Dhawan 33*) need 137 runs to win versus South Africa A 137/1 in 25 overs (Reeza Hendricks 60; Rahul Chahar 1/18)
