Rajkot: Teen batting sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius stole the show with a scintillating hundred as South Africa A came up with an all-round performance to earn a consolatory 73-run win over India A in the third unofficial ODI here on Wednesday.
The big victory helped the visitors avoid a series whitewash after India won the first two matches.
Besides Pretorius (123 off 98 balls), his opening partner Rivaldo Moonsamy also struck a fine century (107 off 130 balls) while sharing 241 runs to help South Africa post a formidable 325 for six in the allotted 50 overs.
In reply, India A were all out for 252 in 49.1 overs.
India A never got a partnership going and barring Ayush Badoni’s run-a-ball 66 and Ishan Kishan’s 67-ball 53, none of the home team batters could make a mark in the stiff chase of 326.
The duo of Badoni and Kishan joined forces with India A in a spot of bother at 82 for four in 17 overs. But after having added 88 runs, Kishan, seeking to make a case for a return to India’s white-ball teams, was sent back by Nqabayomzi Peter (4/48), who also dismissed Badoni to signal the end of India A’s resistance.
India A lost three wickets in quick succession with Badoni and Rana falling to Peter on consecutive deliveries.
Earlier, 19-year-old Pretorius and Moonsamy powered the visitors after India A captain Tilak Varma asked them to bat.
The South African team lost five wickets quickly after the openers’ dismissals but Delano Potgieter and Dean Forrester played useful cameos.