India ‘A’ staring at defeat against South Africa ‘A’

India ‘A’ requires 255 runs on the final day with only four wickets in hand.

Ankit Bawne (46 off 82 balls) was out of the last delivery of the day. (File Photo)

India ‘A’ is on the verge of losing the first unofficial ‘Test’ match against South Africa as it struggled to reach 192 for six chasing an uphill victory target of 447 at stumps on the third day.

Ankit Bawne (46, 82 balls), who looked set, was out of the last delivery of the day, giving a return catch to pacer Junior Dala. India ‘A’ requires 255 runs on the final day with only four wickets in hand.

The India ‘A’ batsmen were not ready to spend time at the crease as none of them save Bawne were ready to show patience.

Sudeep Chatterjee (20, 35 balls), Ravikumar Samarth (24, 45 balls), skipper Karun Nair (30, 38 balls) and Ishan Kishan (39, 32 balls) all got starts but didn’t show enough intent to convert into big scores.

Earlier, South Africa declared its second innings at 220 for 5 riding on impressive performances from skipper Markram (79) and Rudi Second (74).

Navdeep Saini, with 3 for 20, was the most successful bowler for India in the second innings.

Brief Scores: South Africa ‘A’ 346 and 220/5 decl (Aiden Markram 79, Rudi Second 74, Navdeep Saini 3/20); India ‘A’ 120 and 192/6 (A. Bawne 46, Ishan Kishan 39, Karun Nair 30).