India-A vs South Africa-A | An opportunity for SA-A to regroup against a well-equipped Tilak & Co

The modern game’s shift toward all-out intent was clear in India-A’s final training session. On the eve of the second One-Day game against South Africa-A at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Tilak Varma sent the ball flying into the stands within minutes of their batting stints.

This is how the new generation bats – taking on bowlers from ball one. But India-A isn’t a one-dimensional unit. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ton in the first game underlined the value of adapting to conditions, especially on a pitch where absence of dew brought bowlers into play.

South Africa-A, on the other hand, enters the contest knowing it has competed hard all tour, even if decisive moments have gone India-A’s way. Its recovery from 16 for four to 285 for nine in the first One-Dayer mirrored the resilience shown in the multi-day leg. What hurt the visitor was the top-order collapse and a few fielding lapses, including a missed chance of Ruturaj in the deep. Captain Marques Ackerman had already acknowledged his side’s inexperience in Indian conditions, and the first game reinforced that. Another issue was the lack of planning: the bowlers rarely used bouncers – despite having fielders back – or mixed in enough slower ones, making their spells predictable.

Still, the team has options to regroup. Young Lhuan-dre Pretorius could bolster the batting, while Prenelan Subrayen may support Bjorn Fortuin after the surface offered something to the spinners.

India-A, by contrast, is managing a problem of plenty. Tilak Varma-led side could afford to bench Ayush Badoni and Prabhsimran Singh, and any changes are likely to be rotational. The pace attack – Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana – executed their variations well to check South Africa’s scoring.Sunday will reveal whether the visitor can stitch together a complete performance it has threatened all tour, or if India-A’s depth keeps it in control.