Rishabh Pant’s voice was back where it belonged! Behind the stumps. The India A skipper, playing his first red-ball game since the unfortunate accident he suffered, was full of energy as India A dominated the opening day of the first unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru. The hosts finished the day in command, having reduced the visitors to 299 for 9 after choosing to field first. Tanush Kotian stood out with the ball, while Brar looked impressive as well with the old ball.
IND A vs SA A: Hermann and Hamza great talents
India A struck early through Anshul Kamboj, who dismissed Lesego Senokwane for a duck, but the morning soon belonged to Zubayr Hamza and Jordan Hermann. The pair added 130 runs for the second wicket, showing fine application against a new ball that offered little help.
Hamza, in particular, was fluent square of the wicket and reached his fifty before lunch, guiding South Africa A to 108 for 1 at the first break. Khaleel and Brar remained wicketless by then as Hamza and Hermann looked quite solid.
Tanush Kotian spins a web
The game flipped after lunch as Kotian and Manav Suthar tied down the scoring and built pressure. Kotian dismissed Hermann (71) lbw before Suthar accounted for Moonsamy and Ackerman, both trying to take on the spinners. Kotian then returned to clean up Rubin Hermann and Prenelan Subrayen in quick succession, ending the day with figures of 4 for 68. His accuracy and subtle changes in pace strangled the middle order, ensuring India A regained control by tea when the score read 193/4.
In the final session, Gurnoor Brar continued to impress with his heavy lengths and consistency despite bowling several no-balls. The tall pacer hit the deck hard, troubling batters with bounce and movement off the surface. He picked up the crucial wicket of Hamza for 66 and kept probing around the off stump. Khaleel Ahmed chipped in late with a wicket to wrap up the day.
Rishabh Pant’s cheekiness is back!
As play ended for the day, Rishabh Pant’s voice was the one constant in the background. Every few minutes, there was a quip, a joke, or a bit of encouragement that drew a smile from his bowlers. Apart from his batting exploits, it was his chirpiness that India missed.
Pant being loud, confident, and full of mischief. At one point, he cheekily challenged Manav Suthar to “bowl all six balls properly,” at just one point! He was giving helpful suggestions to all the pacers and it was a delight to hear him from behind the stumps. At one particular moment, he intentionally fell on Sai Sudharsan after the India No. 3 missed a hard chance at short leg.
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