Rajkot: Teen batting sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius stole the show with a scintillating hundred as South Africa A came up with an all-round performance to earn a consolatory 73-run win over India A in the third unofficial ODI here on Wednesday.
The big victory helped the visitors avoid a series whitewash after India won the first two matches.
Besides Pretorius (123 off 98 balls), his opening partner Rivaldo Moonsamy also struck a fine century (107 off 130 balls) while sharing 241 runs to help South Africa post a formidable 325 for six in the allotted 50 overs.
In reply, India A were all out for 252 in 49.1 overs.
India A never got a partnership going and barring Ayush Badoni’s run-a-ball 66 and Ishan Kishan’s 67-ball 53, none of the home team batters could make a mark in the stiff chase of 326.
The duo of Badoni and Kishan joined forces with India A in a spot of bother at 82 for four in 17 overs. But after having added 88 runs, Kishan, seeking to make a case for a return to India’s white-ball teams, was sent back by Nqabayomzi Peter (4/48), who also dismissed Badoni to signal the end of India A’s resistance.
India A lost three wickets in quick succession with Badoni and Rana falling to Peter on consecutive deliveries.
Earlier, 19-year-old Pretorius and Moonsamy powered the visitors after India A captain Tilak Varma asked them to bat.
The South African team lost five wickets quickly after the openers’ dismissals but Delano Potgieter and Dean Forrester played useful cameos to help the Proteas go past 320.
For India, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Khaleel Ahmed took two wickets each at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
India won the first two games of the three-match series.
Pretorius, who has been retained by the Rajasthan Royals for the IPL, produced a blistering innings, scoring his runs off just 98 balls at a strike rate of 125.51, while senior pro Moonsamy played a perfect second fiddle to the youngster, getting his runs in 130 balls.
Pretorius struck nine fours and six sixes during his knock, which is his highest score and third century in List A cricket.
He has now amassed 863 runs in List A cricket at an average of 47.94 and a strike rate of 109. 2025 has been the left-handed batter’s breakout year.
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).
