 "Rishabh Pant")
Rishabh Pant’s much-anticipated comeback innings turned out to be a brief one, as India A collapsed to 234 all out on Day 2 of the first unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru on Friday. The visitors, led by off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen’s superb 5/61, took firm control of the contest, securing a 75-run first-innings lead before stretching it to 105 by stumps, reaching 30 for no loss in their second innings.
India A Falter After Restricting SA A to 309
Earlier in the morning, India A wrapped up South Africa A’s innings for 309, adding just 10 runs to their overnight 299/9. However, their reply lacked discipline and application. Despite a promising start, the middle order crumbled under the pressure of Subrayen’s relentless accuracy and subtle variations.
Teenager Ayush Mhatre (65 off 76 balls) was the only batter to stand tall amid the ruins. His knock, filled with elegant strokes including a crisp straight drive off Okuhle Cele and a flowing cover drive off Subrayen, reflected sound technique and maturity beyond his years.
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Pant’s Short Stay and India’s Middle-Order Collapse
Rishabh Pant, returning to competitive cricket after three months, had a mixed outing. He impressed behind the stumps but couldn’t translate that success with the bat. The left-hander’s 17 came off 29 minutes, featuring two trademark boundaries and a few rash shots. His dismissal, caught by Zubayr Hamza at gully after indecision against Subrayen, summed up India’s erratic batting effort.
Opener Sai Sudharsan (38 off 94) struggled to find fluency and was eventually caught behind off Tshepo Moreki. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar perished cheaply to loose strokes, deepening India’s woes.
Subrayen’s Discipline and Badoni’s Late Fight
Subrayen’s control was the defining factor of the day. Bowling unchanged for long spells, the 32-year-old extracted sharp turn and bounce, dismantling India’s middle order. His efforts were complemented by tidy spells from Moreki and Cele.
Ayush Badoni’s brisk 38 off 47 offered brief resistance, reducing the deficit below 100 before he too fell in an attacking attempt. By stumps, South Africa A had reasserted their dominance, with Jordan Hermann (12)* and Lesego Senokwane (9)* guiding them safely to 30 without loss.
A Day to Forget for India A
For India A, it was a day of missed opportunities. After restricting the visitors early, they failed to build on momentum with the bat. With South Africa A already 105 runs ahead and nine wickets in hand, India A’s bowlers face a daunting task on Day 3 to claw their way back into the match.
IND A 1st innings scorecard:
| India A 1st Innings | |||||||||||||||
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | ||||||||||
| Sai Sudharsan | c †Moonsamy b Moreki | 32 | 94 | 3 | 0 | 34.04 | |||||||||
| Ayush Mhatre | c Hermann b Subrayen | 65 | 76 | 10 | 0 | 85.52 | |||||||||
| Devdutt Padikkal | c Cele b Subrayen | 6 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 27.27 | |||||||||
| Rajat Patidar | b Subrayen | 19 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 54.28 | |||||||||
| Rishabh Pant (c)† | c Zubayr Hamza b Cele | 17 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 85 | |||||||||
| Ayush Badoni | c Herman b Sipamla | 38 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 80.85 | |||||||||
| Tanush Kotian | c Senokwane b Subrayen | 13 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 50 | |||||||||
| Manav Suthar | c †Moonsamy b van Vuuren | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 | |||||||||
| Anshul Kamboj | c Cele b Sipamla | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 50 | |||||||||
| Gurnoor Brar | not out | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11.11 | |||||||||
| Khaleel Ahmed | c Sipamla b Subrayen | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 | |||||||||
| Extras | (b 13, lb 6, nb 3, w 8) | 30 | |||||||||||||
| Total | 58 Ov (RR: 4.03) | 234 | |||||||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB | ||||||||
| Tshepo Moreki | 10 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 4.2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Okuhle Cele | 9 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 4.66 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| Tiaan van Vuuren | 7 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| Lutho Sipamla | 10 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Prenelan Subrayen | 22 | 2 | 61 | 5 | 2.77 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
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