India A shock South Africa in the T20 warm-up game

India A shock South Africa in the T20 warm-up game: The rampant India A side defeated the Proteas in the T20 warm-up game played at Palam, New Delhi. The visitors got off to worst of starts possible to their 72-day tour of India which includes 3 T20Is, 5 ODI matches and 4 Tests. The India A team was set a mammoth target of 190 runs. But the hosts chased down the total with 2 balls to spare and 8 wickets in hand. It was the excellent opening partnership between Mayank Agarwal and Manan Vohra which ensured that India won the match with ease.

After posting a total of 189 runs on the board, the South African’s wouldn’t have expected that the second fiddle Indian side will defeat them. But, the dashing Indian openers got their team off to a flier and they transformed an improbable looking task into an easy one. Vohra and Agarwal added 119 runs for the 1^st wicket and India’s first wicket fell in the 13^th over when Protean off-spinner JP Duminy outwitted Vohra. The right-hander scored 56 runs off 42 deliveries at a strike-rate of 133.33. In the knock, he blasted 8 fours and a six. While Agarwal who has been in red-hot form continued his purple patch with the bat as he hammered a 49 ball 87 run knock.

In his brute knock, he thwarted the South African bowlers all around the park. He smashed 12 fours and 2 maximums in his 49 ball blitz. When Agarwal perished, India’s score was 171 runs and they were in a position of ascendancy. The Kerala Wicket-keeper batsman, Sanju Samson played a valuable cameo of 31 runs with the help of 2 fours and a six and remained unbeaten.

Earlier, South African skipper Faf du Plessis had won the toss and chose to bat. Though the departure of Quinton de Kock in the first over meant the T20I skipper was out on the 22 yards with the limited overs skipper, AB de Villiers. The prolific pair of de Villiers and du Plessis who are also referred to as ‘Dude’ (word formed by combining initials of du Plessis and de Villiers) stitched a very solid partnership for the 2^nd wicket. The experienced African pair combined in an 87 run stand. As ABD started looking to get into his own the Chinaman spinner, Kuldeep Yadav outwitted him for 37 runs.

The Protean captain Faf scored 42 runs and looked in imperious touch before getting retired hurt. The Indian spinning trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Pawan Negi and Kuldeep Yadav controlled the African innings otherwise at a time a total in excess of 200 runs looked like a cakewalk for the visitors. The spinners gave away only 83 runs in 11 overs and restricted the run flow. The tourists scored 83 runs off the last 7.4 overs. The South African southpaw, JP Duminy turned up the heat with his enthralling innings of 68 runs which came off just 32 deliveries. His marvelous knock included 6 hits over the ropes as well as 2 fours.

Coming into this warm-up game, the Proteas were the front-runners but this loss is nothing less than a big shock. If the South African’s are finding the second fiddle Indian spinners hard to tackle by, then the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and  Amit Mishra will surely add up to their misery. While on the bowling front as well the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Sean Abbott and Merchant de Lange were expensive. Chris Morris was the most economical African pacer. Even the Protean leggie, Imran Tahir was unable to build up any pressure whatsoever on the India A batsmen. It seems a very tough T20I series is awaiting South Africa.

Brief Scores:

South Africa – 189/3 (Duminy 68, du Plessis 42; Pandya 1/16),

India A – 193/2 (Agarwal 87, Vohra 56; Duminy 1/22)

India A beat South Africa by 8 wickets.