The second unofficial ODI between India A and South Africa A in Thiruvananthapuram too was marred by rain, as the encounter was reduced to a 21-over a side match. India A captain Manish Pandey won the toss and chose to field first.

Both the openers fell early with Malan being runout by Chahar for 6 and last match’s centurion Reeza Hendricks falling for one run, to Ahmed. Temba Bavuma (40), Khaya Zondo (24), and Heinrich Klassen (31) tried to power the innings towards a respectable total from 75/4.

Ultimately it was George Linde who came to the party, hitting 52* in 25 balls with 5 sixes and 1 four, taking the final score of South Africa A to 162/5 in 21 overs. For India A, Akshar Patel (1/19) was the most economical bowler, with Chahar, Ahmed, and Chahal picking a wicket each.

India A’s response started off badly as Ruturaj Gaikwad fell for one run and Shubman Gill, who looked good for his 21, was dismissed by Fortuin. Manish Pandey made 13, but couldn’t stay long. But it was an amazing aggressive inning of 55 in 24 balls from Ishan Kishan that took India to safety. He hit 5 fours and four sixes in his innings.

However, the India A team lost wickets afterward as well, putting the onus of winning the match on Krunal Pandya, who did it while making 23* in 15 balls with one four and one six. India A beat South Africa A by two wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series.

For South Africa, Junior Dala picked 2/25, while all other bowlers picked a wicket each.

BRIEF SCORES:
SA-A 162/5 in 21 overs (G LINDE 52*; A PATEL 1/19) lost to IND-A 163/8 (I KISHAN 55; J DALA 2/25) by 2 wickets