Rishabh Pant falls for 17 as Subrayen’s five-wicket haul puts South Africa A on Top against India A

Rishabh Pant’s brief innings, marked by two attacking strokes, two neat boundaries, and one careless shot, summed up his 29-minute stay for 17 runs, as India A were dismissed for 234 against South Africa A on the second day of their four-day match on Friday.

Rishabh Pant’s short stay at the crease, two aggressive advances, two crisp boundaries, and one poor shot, summed up his 29-minute innings of 17 runs, as India A were bowled out for 234 against South Africa A on the second day of their four-day match on Friday.

Earlier, South Africa A were dismissed for 309, after resuming from 299/9 in the morning session. India A then struggled with poor shot selection and failed to handle off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen (5/61), giving the hosts a first-innings lead of 75 runs.

Youngster Ayush Mhatre (65 off 76 balls) was the only batter who showed fight for India A.

In their second innings, South Africa A reached 30 without loss, stretching their overall lead to 105. Jordan Hermann (12) and Lesego Senokwane (9) remained unbeaten at stumps, keeping their side firmly in control.

Rishabh Pant’s return innings drew plenty of attention. Although he was sharp behind the stumps in his comeback to competitive cricket after three months, he couldn’t make the same impact with the bat.

He began with a wild swing against pacer Tshepo Moraki that missed completely, then hit his first boundary, a loft over mid-on off Subrayen’s sixth ball. Another four came with a pull shot off Moraki, hinting at form.

However, hesitation cost him his wicket. Unsure whether to play or leave, Pant ended up lobbing the ball to Zubayr Hamza at gully, a dismissal that reflected the overall lack of conviction in India’s batting lineup.

Opener Sai Sudharsan also struggled, scoring 38 from 94 balls with several close calls, including a near run-out. His innings ended when Moraki found the edge of his bat, and keeper Rivaldo Moonsamy took an easy catch.

Sudharsan, though scratchy, added 90 runs for the opening stand with Mhatre, India A’s biggest partnership. Devdutt Padikkal fell cheaply, chipping Subrayen to short midwicket, while Rajat Patidar was bowled attempting an overambitious drive against the same bowler.

The highlight of the innings was Mhatre’s composed half-century. The Mumbai teenager looked stylish and confident, playing elegant drives, especially a straight drive off Cele and a cover drive off Subrayen, showing maturity well beyond his years.