India A secure a one-wicket win against South Africa A

Unmukt Chand top scored for India A with 53

India A’s one-wicket win against South Africa A in the Quadrangular A-Team series at Darwin, Australia, on Saturday, July 26, 2014, has consolidated their position at the top of the table.

India A, chasing 275 from 50 overs, got off to a solid start with skipper Robin Uthappa and Unmukt Chand opening the batting. The pair added 84 runs for the first wicket before Uthappa departed, for 46, lbw off the bowling of off-spinner Justin Ontong, a wicket that brought the young and impressive Manan Vohra to the crease.

Having made 88 in his previous game, the Chandigarh-born continued his good form, making 52 from just 31 balls at a strike-rate of 167. While Vohra went berserk, Chand was content with just looking to find the gaps with the odd boundary and provided good support to the 21-year-old: the two players added 68 for the second wicket.

Karn Sharma – The star of the day

India A were cruising to a comfortable win before a middle-order collapse left them in a spot of bother at 177/5. Sanju Samson and Rishi Dhawan steadied the innings with a 44-run partnership for the 6th wicket but fell in quick succession. With another 42 runs required and two wickets in hand, the team looked down and out, but Karn Sharma, who made a rapid 39 off 16 balls, managed to rescue the team and take them past the finishing line.

Earlier in the day, South Africa posted 275/8 in their allotted overs, thanks largely to the efforts of Rilee Rossouw. No one, apart from the 24-year-old Knights batsman, crossed the 30-run mark, reflecting the southpaw’s overwhelming contribution to the innings. His 137 came off 150 balls and contained 15 boundaries.

Karn was the pick of the India A bowlers with figures of 2/35 from his 10 overs. Dhawal Kulkarni and Rishi Dhawan took 2 wickets, too, while Parvez Rasool and Manan Vohra chipped in with a wicket each.