India A tour of South Africa, 2013

[Chandan]

Test 2 Day 3 http://goo.gl/FH9qzX India A face daunting chase on final day Ken Borland | Pretoria | 26 August 2013 India A’s hopes of winning their series against South Africa A were hanging precariously after they finished the penultimate day of the second and final four-day match on 3 for 1, chasing 307 to win at the L.C. de Villiers Oval in Pretoria. This was after SA A declared their second innings on 166 for 5 and, even though they did not score at a good click, it left them with a lead of over 300 and 94 overs in which to dismiss India A and level the series, on a pitch that has become progressively more difficult for batting. The required run rate at the start of the innings was 3.26 per over, while the best in the match so far has been 2.86 runs per over in India A’s first innings of 201 all out. By the end of the four overs bowled on Monday (August 26), that required run rate had grown to 3.37. India A’s survival on the final day lies squarely in the hands of Cheteshwar Pujara, the captain, who survived through to stumps on two not out and was the top-scorer in his side’s first innings. The batsman to fall on Monday evening was Murali Vijay, bowled for a duck by Beuran Hendricks, the left-arm seamer, who is enjoying an inspired match. Hendricks took 5 for 36 in 21 overs as India A scored an underwhelming 201 in their first innings, giving up a first-innings deficit of 140. India A had begun the fourth day on 145 for 6 and Ambati Rayudu and Parvez Rasool, the overnight batsmen, scored 32 runs in the first nine overs of play. But then Rayudu (29) swept Simon Harmer, the off-spinner, straight into the hands of deep square-leg and India A lost their remaining three wickets in less than ten overs for 24 runs. Rasool was in defiant mood with the bat and he finished unbeaten on 32, with five plucky boundaries. Apart from Hendricks, who swung the ball and kept the batsmen in check with great accuracy, Harmer was the other SA A bowler to enjoy himself, taking 4 for 74 in 20.1 overs. After their great effort with the ball, SA A’s second innings never really came to the boil. Admittedly there was some fine Indian bowling to contend with, especially by Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, who had figures of 20-4-56-3, but the opening stand of 53 between Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar lacked attacking teeth, taking up 27.5 overs. Hendricks eventually fell for 20 after two hours and 85 balls, trying to cut Nadeem but edging the ball to slip, where Dinesh Karthik took a smart catch moving quickly to his left. Rilee Rossouw lasted just four balls before Nadeem bowled him for a duck, but Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma added 56 for the third wicket. But it was difficult to see where the innings was going as that partnership ate up another 20 overs. Elgar was just beginning to go after the bowling with more meaning when he was bowled by Rasool’s offspin, and it took a bright innings of 35 off 32 balls by Justin Ontong, the captain, to haul SA A to their target of a 300-run lead. Ontong declared the innings closed shortly after he was stumped by Wriddhiman Saha off Nadeem, leaving his fiery opening bowlers – Hendricks and Kyle Abbott – with four overs to go after the India A batsmen. And they gained the breakthrough they were looking for with the wicket of Vijay, leaving India A with a testing final day. But Lalchand Rajput, the coach, believes it is a perfect opportunity for his batsmen – who have top-class talent – to show they also have the temperament to succeed at a higher level. “This will show whether we have the character, it was a very good declaration. It’s a last-day pitch of course, but if we can play through the first hour and not lose a wicket, that will be very crucial if we’re going to make a push for victory. It will be a good chance for the batsmen to show they have the temperament,” he said. Rajput acknowledged that India A’s poor performance in the first innings – they let 97 for 6 become 341 – had allowed SA A to stage a breakaway, but he is confident his team can now rectify those mistakes. “We bowled well today, they could have batted a lot quicker, so it was very good to restrict them like that. The first innings was obviously very crucial and our batsmen got out early. But they are good enough not to get out in the same way tomorrow,” said Rajput. Pujara, Karthik and Rayudu all bished their way to their own dismissal in the first innings and Operation Salvage should be their first priority on Tuesday morning. http://goo.gl/ibKJye SA A need nine wickets to win 26 August 2013, 09:50 South African cricketer Beuran Hendricks hoped some movement from the wicket would help the bowlers on an important last day of South Africa A (SA A) against India A in Pretoria on Tuesday. SA A need nine wickets and India A 304 runs to win the second unofficial test match at the Tuks Cricket Oval. "We are slightly ahead of them, so we are quite confident of finishing the job tomorrow," Hendricks said. "We have to take the momentum we created today and push it on tomorrow. "Simon [Harmer] is going to come into the game perfectly and, with a deteriorating day four pitch, it is going to be an interesting day." Hendricks was the chief destroyer of the India A innings, picking up his eighth first-class five-for for 36 runs and the wicket of Vijay in India's second innings. SA A made an important breakthrough two overs before stumps with the wicket of Murali Vijay for a duck, leaving India on 3/1 at the close, and have set up an interesting match with 90 overs available tomorrow. SA A captain Justin Ontong declared on 165 for five in the second innings to give his team a good chance of playing for the win. Earlier, India A were dismissed for 201 in the first session, 140 runs shy of SA A's first innings score. Dean Elgar top-scored with 62 in SA A's second innings, with Ontong making a quick fire 35 off 32 balls before declaring. SA A are without Wayne Parnell, who is still in hospital for observation and tests, after complaining of shortness of breath on Sunday.

[Chandan]

test 2 day 4 http://goo.gl/Yyjp01 Hendricks stars in series-levelling win Ken Borland | Pretoria | 27 August 2013 The heroics of Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha were not enough as South Africa A beat India A by 121 runs at the L.C. de Villiers Oval in Pretoria on Tuesday (August 27) to level the two-match series. The Indians were chasing 307 to win but began the final day already one wicket down after Beuran Hendricks had yorked Murali Vijay on the third evening. And they suffered the most horrific of starts to the day as Cheteshwar Pujara, the captain, ran himself out first ball and Hendricks then reduced them to the depths of 18 for 5. Pujara pushed the ball straight to mid-on and set off for the craziest of quick singles to Justin Ontong, the SA A captain and one of the best fielders in the country. The almost inevitable direct hit sent Pujara back to the clubhouse for two. Hendricks, who tested the batsmen with diagonal movement across them and the ability to bring the ball back into the pads, then went to work with some superb left-arm swing bowling. Tearing in from the end with the little rocky knoll behind it, Hendricks whipped out Shahbaz Nadeem, caught at short-leg for five, and Dinesh Karthik, caught in the slips two balls later for a duck. Then he had Ambati Rayudu caught behind for a single in his next over. SA A certainly looked like a side that had been up bright and early, while India A seemed half-asleep. A defeat before lunch looked a distinct possibility and might well have happened had Rahane and Saha both not survived early chances after edging deliveries from Hendricks and Simon Harmer, the off-spinner, behind the stumps. But the two men on the fringes of the Indian Test team, batted superbly thereafter and, by the tea break, whether India A would win the match had suddenly become the more pertinent question. At 177 for 5, India A needed 130 off 36 overs to snatch a stunning win and a 2-0 series victory. But 11 balls after the break, Rahane’s leg stump was no longer standing as Hendricks succeeded in reverse-swinging a delivery through him, bowling him for a determined 86 after four hours and 156 balls at the crease, and ending a superb partnership of 160 for the sixth wicket in 50.4 overs. It was a tremendous coup for the South Africans because Rahane and Saha had batted for practically two sessions with increasing confidence and looked capable of taking India A to an unlikely win. “We’d allowed the game to meander along and we needed to believe we could take a wicket and open the door. We needed someone to produce something special,” admitted Vincent Barnes, the SA A coach. In the end, the exciting finale that was on the cards became a non-event as the last four wickets tumbled for seven runs in 6.3 overs. Stuart Binny was trapped lbw for four without playing a stroke to Harmer and the horror Lalchand Rajput, the India A coach, must have felt in the first hour returned as Parveez Rasool went leg-before to Hendricks and Harmer then claimed the last two wickets in quick time. “From 20 for 5, Rahane and Saha batted really well for two sessions, they showed real grit and temperament. But Hendricks bowled very well in both innings and the pitch always had something in it for bowlers who bend their back,” said Rajput. Hendricks finished with the top-class figures of 17-8-27-6 and a magnificent match analysis of 11 for 63 in 38 overs, half of which were maidens. Harmer also enjoyed a profitable day – with 3 for 79 in 21.2 overs – and match, with overall figures of 7 for 153 in 41.3 overs. Saha finished on a courageous 77 not out off 183 balls, in 250 minutes, but did not see his team to victory through no fault of his own. Both Rahane and Saha played close to the body and good technique and sound shot selection were their best allies as they built their remarkable partnership. Although it ultimately didn’t bring victory, it was one of the better moments of a successful tour for India A. Winning the triangular series on the back of Shikhar Dhawan’s amazing form was the obvious highlight, but the innings victory in Rustenburg in the first four-day match was also something to savour. “Overall, I think the tour went extremely well. We won the limited-overs series and the first ‘test’ in Rustenburg, and then here we rested a few key players. There were a lot of positives to come out of the trip. “It was a great opportunity for Dhawan, (Rohit) Sharma and (Suresh) Raina to score big runs, while Rahane and Saha batted really well today. (Ishwar) Pandey bowled very well in both the ODIs and the four-dayers, while (Jaydev) Unadkat did well in the limited-overs games and (Mohammad) Shami was good in the first ‘test’. “Overall, we were able to look at the players and most of them have done well,” was the final analysis of Rajput. Brief scores: South Africa A 341 (Simon Harmer 96, Wayne Parnell 91) & 166 for 5 dec (Dean Elgar 62, Shahbaz Nadeem 3-56) beat India A 201 (Cheteshwar Pujara 54, Beuran Hendricks 5-36, Harmer 4-74) and 185 (Ajinkya Rahane 86, Wriddhiman Saha 77*, Hendricks 6-27, Harmer 3-79) by 121 runs. http://goo.gl/XQNmzE SA A win big to level series 27 August 2013, 16:00 South Africa A overcame India A's middle-order revival to win by 121 runs in the second 'unofficial' test to level the two match series 1-1, played in Pretoria on Tuesday. Left-arm pace bowler Beuran Hendricks was the star of the show as he took six wickets from 17 overs conceded just 27 which included eight maidens. The visitors started the day with 9 wickets in hand, but by the tenth over they were in disarray as Ambati Rayudu became Hendricks fourth wicket, caught behind. India A were remarkably on 18 for five. However India's batting pair of Wriddhiman Saha and Ajinkya Rahane had no intentions of throwing in the proverbial towel just yet. The duo went on to register a sixth-wicket partnership of 160 and lasted a little over 50 overs. Their partnership was eventually brought to an end, when Rahane failed to negotiate a Hendricks delivery and was bowled out for a well-played 86. That cued another flurry of wickets as Saha ran out of partners and was left stranded on 77. South Africa A went into the last day needing nine wickets to win and level the two match series 1-1 while India A needed 304 runs or survive the day to clinch the series.

[saneindian]

I dont know why India does not open with Rahane. Yes he usually bats at 3-4 for Mumbai in the ranjis but he played the first 10-15 ranji games as an opener alongside Jaffer. If Rahane is to be an opener then IMO from this ranji season he must start opening again for Mumbai. He will have 5-6 games to open. There needs to be a clear signal to Rahane that he is in the side as an opener. The comparison with Sachin and ODIs is not fair. Sachin has never ever opened for Mumbai in the ranjis. He started at 6 and made his way to 4 for Mumbai and India. In contrast Rahane started as an opener moving down the order to accommodate other players.

He's himself said he wants to play as a middle order bat. Think it was Amre who moved him to Mumbai MO and Rahane has since then publicly said he sees himself as a MO batsman in the national side.

[G_B_]

He's himself said he wants to play as a middle order bat. Think it was Amre who moved him to Mumbai MO and Rahane has since then publicly said he sees himself as a MO batsman in the national side.

any link? I think i read a tweet from Akash Chopra once saying that it was all BS that Rahane had said that. Amre moved Rahane to the middle order to strengthen it as Sachin was always on duty and they had problems replacing Kambli.

[King Tendulkar]

Rahane is one I am not sure off. Seems mentally fragile. Needs more A games to score runs and show his worth

[saneindian]

any link? I think i read a tweet from Akash Chopra once saying that it was all BS that Rahane had said that. Amre moved Rahane to the middle order to strengthen it as Sachin was always on duty and they had problems replacing Kambli.

Can't find the link but do remember reading that during the Aus series when he was about to make his debut. SandeepPpatil during the Eng series said Rahane was in the side as a MO batsman and later Dhoni IIRC also said something similar during Aus series. In anycase I hope he retains his no 6 spot in SA and does decently.

[saneindian]

Rahane is one I am not sure off. Seems mentally fragile. Needs more A games to score runs and show his worth

That is an area of concern for him. Was looking at his record for the India A side, doesn't look very good, averages a mere 32 when playing for India A (but then Badri averaged 200+ when playing for the A side).

[rkt.india]

Pujara taking quick single to Ontong :facepalm:. Don't they identify fielders before going for such risky singles. Ontong is one of the best fielders on earth.

[Sidhoni]

Vijay will be playing, he was the highest run scorer in the previous test series. If he fails in first test(which is very likely), then open with Rahane and bring in Rohit at 6. Kick Ishant(Well that's not something new to be learned!) and bring in Pandey at least in the squad.

[King Tendulkar]

That is an area of concern for him. Was looking at his record for the India A side' date=' doesn't look very good, averages a mere 32 when playing for India A (but then Badri averaged 200+ when playing for the A side).[/quote'] Strange everyone is desperate to include rahane after one knock when even then did not deliver as got out

[G_B_]

I am pretty sure that Rahane has delivered in Australia in an emerging players tournament. Though that does not count as the official India A tour he has faced the likes of Starc and Abbot etc and done really well in 2011. I think its highly misleading to simply include India A stats.

[Sooda]

^ Scored a ton vs touring Aus side opening for BP XI too, a few years back that was mind. And I think there just arent that many other options, especially when looking at a 16 man squad. Who else has really caught the eye in the 4 day matches. Its also fair and consistent given he played our last test. I'd like to see Rohit in the XI, Rahane in the squad. Vijays form has been dissapointing, but not entirely surpirising. Do we go with Pujara to open- huge call that. And if so Rohit can play- maybe at 3 followed by SRT and Kohli. Whether we like it or not Jadeja has cemented the no 6 or 7. Dhawan, Pujara, Rohit, SRT, Kohli, Jadeja, MSD, Ashwin, Zaheer (hopefully!), Yadav, Bhuv K Ishwar Pandey, Ojha, Saha, Rahane, Vijay

[G_B_]

btw does anybody know where to find India A stats for Rahane? ie the link?

[saneindian]

I am pretty sure that Rahane has delivered in Australia in an emerging players tournament. Though that does not count as the official India A tour he has faced the likes of Starc and Abbot etc and done really well in 2011. I think its highly misleading to simply include India A stats.

Yep he did and scored a couple of 100s in the EPT in 2011 when 3 day matches were also played, but those are not included in the FC stats. Stats I gave were for FC cricket.

[saneindian]

btw does anybody know where to find India A stats for Rahane? ie the link?

http://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results1.cgi (FC) http://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results1.cgi (List A) http://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results1.cgi (Record for NCA squad in EPT)

[G_B_]

sane bro all i see in those links are PLAYER ORACLE REVEALS RESULTS you must provide a player Click Here to revise your input or start a new search This page was created by the CricketArchive Oracles do i need to search something in them?

[saneindian]

sane bro all i see in those links are PLAYER ORACLE REVEALS RESULTS you must provide a player Click Here to revise your input or start a new search This page was created by the CricketArchive Oracles do i need to search something in them?

Go to the player search option, look for rahane, restrict the team name to "India A" or "National Cricket Academy" and the match type tp "First Class" "List A" or "All"

[Sooda]

Was Dhawan rested for this test, he should not have been innit...

[saneindian]

Was Dhawan rested for this test' date=' he should not have been innit...[/quote'] Has been playing non stop - CT, WI Tri series, Zim ODIs, and this tour. Needed a break. What they should have done though is to ask DK to open, had batted well in SA earlier , not sure why he didnt volunteer to open himself. Could have earned himself a spot as an opener on the main tour

[Cricketics]

pahle woh apni samasya ha samadhan to kare. Let him start find ways of scoring runs again and prove his form. Only then can he be recalled' date=' no?[/quote'] Yes, agree. Unfortnately for his fans, it's hard to shell out any of his positives of late since he hasn't scored much, but again I will continue to back him. Warrior Gambhir