Teen batting sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius stole the spotlight with a scintillating century as South Africa A produced a commanding all-round performance to claim a 73-run win over India A in the third unofficial ODI on Wednesday. The victory helped the visitors avoid a series whitewash after India had won the first two matches.
Pretorius led from the front with 123 off just 98 balls, striking nine fours and six sixes, while his opening partner Rivaldo Moonsamy complemented him perfectly with 107 off 130 balls. The duo shared a 241-run stand to power South Africa to a formidable 325 for six in their allotted 50 overs. Delano Potgieter and Dean Forrester also contributed useful cameos to push the total past 320.
In reply, India A were all out for 252 in 49.1 overs, failing to build any substantial partnerships. Ayush Badoni (66 off 60) and Ishan Kishan (53 off 67) were the only batters to offer resistance, putting together an 88-run stand after India A slipped to 82 for four in 17 overs.
The South African bowlers, led by Nqabayomzi Peter (4/48), quickly ended India A’s hopes, dismissing both Kishan and Badoni in quick succession. Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Khaleel Ahmed also contributed with two wickets each at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, but India A never got close to the challenging target of 326.
Pretorius’ innings marked his highest score and third List A century. The 19-year-old left-hander has now amassed 863 runs in List A cricket at an average of 47.94 and a strike rate of 109. With 2025 emerging as his breakout year, Pretorius, who has been retained by the Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming IPL, is quickly establishing himself as one of South Africa’s most promising young batters.
(By PTI Inputs)
