Teen batting sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius shone brightly with a brilliant hundred, leading South Africa A to a comprehensive 73-run victory over India A in the third unofficial ODI on Wednesday. This win allowed the visitors to avoid a series whitewash after losing the first two matches.
Pretorius scored an impressive 123 off 98 balls, and his opening partner, Rivaldo Moonsamy, also made a fine century, scoring 107 off 130 balls. Together, they shared a 241-run partnership, enabling South Africa to set a formidable target of 325 for six in the allotted 50 overs.
In response, India A were bowled out for 252 in 49.1 overs. The home team struggled to build partnerships, with Ayush Badoni’s run-a-ball 66 and Ishan Kishan’s 67-ball 53 being the only
notable contributions in their chase of 326.
Badoni and Kishan tried to steady the innings when India A were in trouble at 82 for four in 17 overs. They added 88 runs together before Kishan was dismissed by Nqabayomzi Peter (4/48), who also sent Badoni back to the pavilion, effectively ending India A’s chances.
India A lost three wickets in quick succession, with Badoni and Rana falling to Peter on consecutive deliveries.
Earlier, Pretorius and Moonsamy powered South Africa A after India A captain Tilak Varma opted to bowl first. Despite losing five wickets quickly after the openers’ dismissals, Delano Potgieter and Dean Forrester provided useful contributions, helping the Proteas surpass 320.
For India, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Khaleel Ahmed took two wickets each at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
India had won the first two games of the three-match series.
Pretorius, retained by Rajasthan Royals for the IPL, played a blistering innings, scoring his runs at a strike rate of 125.51 with nine fours and six sixes. This knock is his highest score and third century in List A cricket, bringing his total to 863 runs in the format at an average of 47.94 and a strike rate of 109. The year 2025 has been a breakout year for the left-handed batter.
Brief scores:
South Africa A: 325 for 6 in 50 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 123, Rivaldo Moonsamy 107)
India A: 252 all out in 49.1 overs (Ayush Badoni 66, Ishan Kishan 53; Nqabayomzi Peter 4/48).
(With PTI Inputs)
