Picture Credit: SuperSport
As India get set to lock horns with New Zealand for the first Test in Kanpur starting from Thursday, there is another red-ball game of interest going on in another part of the world. India A are playing against South Africa A in the first unofficial Test taking place at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein with some exciting talents like Umran Malik, Prithvi Shaw and Priyank Panchal in action.
After being asked to bat first, the home side put on a dominant display as they posted a huge total of 509/7 before declaring. It was a flat wicket with nothing much for the bowlers and fans were waiting eagerly for the Indian batsmen to show what they can do on this wicket. And the Indian openers certainly did not disappoint!
Shaw played at a strike rate of 106.67
Prithvi Shaw is one of the batsmen who needed to make full use of the opportunity he was getting during this A tour. The stylish right-handed batsman certainly showed a glimpse of his class on Wednesday as he smashed the South Africa A bowlers all over the park.
After a cautious start, he showed a lot of positive intent during an entertaining knock. The 22-year-old played some spectacular cover drives against the likes of Glenton Stuurman and Marco Jansen. He went on to score 48 runs off 45 deliveries, smashing 9 boundaries, before he was dismissed by Lutho Sipamla.
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After the dismissal of Shaw, India A's score read 82/1 in 14 overs with Priyank Panchal (30*) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (2*) in the middle.