Embarrassment for India as South Africa A chase down 417 against Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa A put up a sensational team effort to chase down a mammoth target of 417 runs against India A in the second and final unofficial Test at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, setting a new record in Test A cricket.

South Africa A won the second unofficial Test match by five wickets to level the series 1-1, with India A winning the first unofficial Test match by three wickets. Interestingly, no individual batsman scored a century during South Africa’s record chase, highlighting their incredible team effort.

South Africa A stage a record chase of 417 runs to level the series against India A.

Each player contributed crucial runs as South Africa A registered their highest successful run in A Tests with five players hitting fifties against India A at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. With this memorable chase, South Africa A surpassed the previous highest successful chase in A Tests, which was 412 by India A against Australia A in Lucknow recently.

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Jordan Herrmann led the chase with a stunning knock of 91 runs off 123 balls, while Lesego Senokwane (77 runs off 174 balls), Zubair Hamzah (77 runs off 88 balls), Temba Bavuma (59 runs off 101 balls), and Connor Esterhuizen (52* runs off 53 balls) stunned the Indian bowling attack with their tenacity and intent.

Tiaan van Vuuren and Marques Ackerman also contributed over 20 runs in the successful chase. Two partnerships of over 100 runs have completely changed the course of the game for Bengaluru. Prasidh Krishan was the outstanding bowler for India with two scalps against South Africa A.

Earlier, India A dominated, taking a first innings lead by 34 runs and declaring their second innings at 382 for seven. However, South Africa A remained focused and methodical, managing to steadily close the gap over nearly three and a half sessions and winning the match in the final session.

Record chases by South African A

Meanwhile, South Africa A created history in first-class cricket by successfully chasing down 417 runs against India A in Bengaluru. This remarkable achievement represents their highest successful hunt ever.

Previously, South Africa A’s best run chases included 295 against The Rest in Pretoria in 2003 and 217 against Matabeleland Select XI in Bulawayo in 1994.

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When it comes to successful chases against India A, South Africa A now leads with a chase of 417 runs in Bengaluru. The previous high was 254 by England A in Kolkata in 1994, followed by Australia A’s 225-run chase in Mackay in 2024.

Aakash Chopra wants both Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Gurel in the Kolkata Test XI

Now, the top teams will face each other in the two-match Test series, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is. The first Test will begin at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 14.

Ahead of the Kolkata Test, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra wants Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Gurel to feature in India’s squad against the WTC champions.

“The team has been selected, and there are both Dhruv Gurel and Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant will play. Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain. So, he will play, and he should play. He is a generational talent if you talk about Test cricket, but I feel Dhruv Gurel should also be played. A place should be created for him in the XI,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.