India A Impresses with Pace Attack Against South Africa A

Bengaluru, Nov 7 (PTI): In a display of exemplary fast bowling, India A gained an edge over South Africa A on the second day of the second four-day match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, despite a commendable century by Marques Ackerman.

Prasidh Krishna (3/35), Mohammad Siraj (2/61), and Akash Deep (2/28) exploited the pace and bounce of the wicket effectively, combining for seven dismissals and bowling out South Africa A for 221 in their first innings.

Ackerman's impressive 134 off 118 balls, which featured 17 fours and 5 sixes, was the backbone of South Africa's innings.

With a 34-run lead in hand, India A ended the day at 78 for three in their second innings, taking their overall lead to 112 runs. KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 26, alongside Kuldeep Yadav who was yet to score.

The day saw Abhimanyu Easwaran facing difficulties, registering a second consecutive duck, while Sai Sudharsan also had a modest outing, scoring 23 off 38 deliveries. Devdutt Padikkal, after making 24, saw his steady innings end with an exceptional gully catch by Lesego Senokwane.

The Indian pacers had earlier set a steep challenge for the South African batters, making the total of 255 a formidable target. The visitors quickly found themselves in trouble, reduced to 12 for three within the first eight overs.

Senokwane's attempt to tackle Akash's moving delivery ended in his off-stump being uprooted, and Temba Bavuma fell victim to a contentious caught-behind decision off an Akash delivery.

Siraj then added to South Africa's woes by removing Zubayr Hamza, further setting the tone for India's dominance with bounce and carry from the track that surely caught the attention of the Indian team management ahead of the Test series against South Africa.

Ackerman, however, found an ally in Jordan Hermann, and their 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket kept the hosts momentarily at bay.

Post-lunch, Prasidh Krishna's incisive bowling saw him remove both Hermann and Connor Esterhuizen in quick succession, reducing South Africa to a precarious 76 for five.

The innings soon read 121 for seven, but Ackerman showed resilience and found support in Prenelan Subrayen (20). Their aggressive 86-run partnership off 66 balls took South Africa past the 200-run mark, with Ackerman launching an assault against Siraj, hitting two sixes and three fours in one over.

Ackerman, who notched up his 13th century in 79 first-class matches, accelerated rapidly, bringing up his second 50 in just 22 balls after his first had come off 77 balls.

The stand was broken when Subrayen fell to a direct hit from Siraj at short covers. Soon after, Ackerman's reverse scoop attempt off Harsh Dubey saw him give a simple catch to Rishabh Pant, ending South Africa's innings just short of India's first innings score.