Gaikwad’s Heroics Propel India A to Victory Over South Africa A

Ruturaj Gaikwad combined elegance with accuracy to score a remarkable 117, leading India-A to a four-wicket victory over South Africa-A in the opening one-day match at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Thursday.

During his innings, Gaikwad hit 12 boundaries before being bowled by Tiaan Van Vuuren while attempting another, leaving India-A needing 68 more runs. Nonetheless, impactful performances from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 37, and Nishant Sindhu, who remained unbeaten with 29, secured the win with three balls to spare.

For a detailed recap, click here: India-A vs South Africa-A 1st unofficial One-Day.

Nitish initiated his innings with a stunning cover drive and soon hit spinner Bjorn Fortuin for a six over long-on. Sindhu complemented him with well-placed pulls and drives. Their partnership of 65 runs ensured that South Africa-A, struggling with fielding errors, couldn’t regain control of the match.

India-A, set a target of 286, got off to a strong start with Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, who put together 64 runs for the first wicket. Abhishek’s aggressive 31 off 25 balls set the pace before being dismissed by Fortuin. Although Riyan Parag was dismissed cheaply, Gaikwad stabilized the innings alongside captain Tilak Varma.

Gaikwad reached a run-a-ball fifty and continued to maintain momentum by punishing loose balls. The duo added 89 runs for the third wicket until Tilak’s scratchy innings of 39 ended with a top-edged pull. Gaikwad reached his fluent century from 118 balls, marked by a pull over midwicket and an upper cut for four.

Ishan Kishan contributed with a brief cameo before the lower middle order completed the chase in the final over.

Earlier, South Africa-A overcame a rocky start at 16 for four to post a total of 285 for nine, thanks to Delano Potgieter’s 90 and Dian Forrester’s 77. Their fifth-wicket stand of 113 revitalized the innings after Arshdeep Singh (2/59) and Prasidh Krishna (1/57) made early breakthroughs.

However, their efforts were insufficient to prevent India-A from taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Published on Nov 13, 2025.