South Africa A 219 for 3 (Hamza 93, Erwee 57, Chahal 2-55) trail India A 345 (Vihari 148, Bawne 80, Olivier 6-63) by 126 runs
India A were expected to consolidate their position against South Africa A on Saturday, but their middle and lower order crumbled in the opening hour as the last six wickets fell for only eight runs. The wrecker-in-chief was fast bowler Duanne Olivier, whose five wickets in the space of 18 deliveries bowled the hosts out for 345. India could add only 23 runs to their overnight score of 322 for 4.
South Africa’s batsmen then ensured the initiative gained was capitalised on. Opener Sarel Erwee and No. 3 Zubayr Hamza struck half-centuries in a 154-run second-wicket partnership to deflate India. Only legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal‘s double-strike – on either side of the tea break – removing both set batsmen, injected some life into the home side’s bowling attack. However, by stumps on day two the visitors had moved into a commanding position at 219 for 3, only 126 runs adrift.
Despite the poor start to their morning, India A had an excellent beginning with the ball. Mohammed Siraj, fresh from a ten-wicket haul in the previous match, struck with his opening delivery, trapping the left-handed Pieter Malan lbw. But, Hamza and Erwee took charge thereafter, crunching 22 fours and two sixes in their partnership to help the visitors raze close to half of India A’s first-innings score.
They were helped along the way by India’s sloppy fielding effort, which handed both batsmen a life. At 56 for 1, offspinner Jayant Yadav beat the outside of the charging Erwee’s bat, but wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat’s fumbled stumping attempt meant that the opener survived. Next ball, Erwee cleared his front leg to thump a boundary over mid-on to further deflate India. In the 17th over, right-arm pacer Ankit Rajpoot found Hamza’s outside edge off a full delivery, but a dropped chance from Hanuma Vihari at second slip allowed the batsman to carry on. He struck two consecutive boundaries later in the over to move on to 45, giving India a glimpse of the dire consequences of missing chances. Hamza completed his 20th first-class half-century soon after – his third 50-plus score of the tour – reaching there in just 57 balls.
The flow of runs after lunch was thick and fast and not even captain Shreyas Iyer’s motivational chants of “Happy Birthday bhai log (brothers)”, “jayega, Raju (He’ll be out, Rajpoot) and Ek lena padega (we need a wicket soon) changed India’s fortunes. Hamza used his wrists to clip deliveries off his pads to the midwicket boundary, while two back-foot punches and a six over long on took Erwee to a half-century of his own. The duo brought up their 100-run stand with a six and the 150 of the partnership with a boundary. It was then, at the stroke of tea, that Chahal sprang into action unexpectedly, with a quicker one that induced an edge from Hamza, which was pouched by Iyer at slip. He fell seven runs short of his hundred
On the other side of tea, Chahal made another inroad. It was a result of a lapse in Erwee’s concentration and perhaps a slice of bad luck, that ended the opener’s vigil on 57. He was adjudged lbw on the sweep as another quicker one from Chahal produced a wicket. Except, Erwee had cause for a little rancour, as he may have got a feather on the ball before it struck his pad.
However, at 163 for 3, it had still been South Africa’s day, and any doubts about whether it would end that way were quelled by a patient unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 56, between No. 4 Rassie van der Dussen (18*) and No. 5 Rudi Second (35*).
Source: ESPN Crickinfo