India A defeated hosts South Africa 'A' by 18 runs on Duckworth Lewis Method in their second encounter of the tri-series tournament on Friday.
After ending up on the losing side in the thriller against Australia 'A' in the opening game, Cheteshwar Pujara's side got full points from the game that was shortened to 38-overs-a-side because of rain delay.
India A scored a commendable 309 for five in 38 overs thanks to late-order surge by Suresh Raina (60 off 34 balls) and Ambati Rayudu (57 off 38 balls).
Shikhar Dhawan (85 off 67 balls) and Rohit Sharma’s run-a-ball 65 had earlier helped India set up a solid foundation.
In reply, South Africa 'A' scored 258 for five in 34.4 overs when rain stopped play. The D/L par score at that point of time was 276, which ensured India went home winners by 18 runs in a high-scoring game at the LC de Villiers Oval.
South Africa A openers Rilee Rossouw (47 off 33 balls) and Reeza Hendricks (30 off 31 balls) were off to a good start before twin strikes by Parvez Rasool in a span of three deliveries sent both of them back to the pavilion.
The next two batters, Dean Elgar and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, added 149 runs in the next 21 overs to keep the hosts in the chase. Spinner Shabaz Nadeem got India A the much needed breakthrough by dismissing van Jaarsveld in the 32nd over. A wicket each fell in the next two overs to dent the home side’s chances.
Unadkat removed rival captain Justin Ontong (4) as South Africa slumped to 251 for five from a relatively comfortable 228 for two. The three wickets also affected the D/L par score, which shot up and proved crucial in the final context of the match.
Brief scores: India A 309 for 5 in 38 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 85, Rohit Sharma 65, Suresh Raina 60, Ambati Rayudu 57; Justin Ontong 2 for 27) beat South Africa A 258 for 5 in 34.4 overs (Dean Elgar 84, Vaughn van Jaarsveld 69) by 18 runs by D/L method.
