Pandey fires India A to series win in New Zealand

Captain Manish Pandey led from the front with an unbeaten 111, firing India A to a series-clinching victory over New Zealand A in the second unofficial ODI of the three match series here Sunday.

For the second game in a row, India won the toss and opted to field. George Worker (99) and Will Young (102) steered New Zealand A to a competitive 299 for eight.

India A, who had comfortably chased down 309 in the series opener, made short work of the 300-run target this time, getting home with five wickets in hand and an over to spare.

Pandey remained unbeaten with five fours and three sixes while the other contributions came from Shreyas Iyer (59) and Vijay Shankar (59), who both scored their second straight half-century.

The final game of the series will be played here on Tuesday.

India A openers Shubman Gill (25) and Mayank Agarwal (25) got starts but failed to convert for the second game in a row.

Iyer and Pandey then shared a 90-run stand for the third wicket to set the tone for the chase. After Iyer's fall, Pandey stitched a 123-run stand with Shankar to ensure another convincing victory.