[Watch] Ishan Kishan plays some eye-catching strokes against South Africa A
Wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan played a gusty knock of 49 for India A in their second unofficial Test against South Africa A. The 24-year-old looked in good touch and played some attacking strokes during his innings.
Kishan's last outing with India was in the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand. He was also part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
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Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar were asked to join the camp in Blomefontein following the end of the white-ball series against the Blackcaps. The flamboyant left-hander came to the crease with his team stuck at 76/4. He forged an important partnership with Hanuma Vihari to get his team's score to a respectable total.
A sublime cover drive against Beuran Hendricks and a valiant cut shot over Glenton Stuurman emerged as the highlights of the innings. He even struck a few boundaries off his former Mumbai Indians teammate Marco Jansen.
Check out a few of his shots right here:
Ishan Kishan batting vs SA A
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He was dismissed by Jansen in the end, one short of a well-deserved half-century. His knock of 49 came off 71 deliveries and included 9 fours. Ishan Kishan is expected to be a huge attraction at the Mega Auction after being let go off by Mumbai Indians.
South Africa A hold a 137-run lead over India A
The second unofficial Test match heads into an interesting culmination after the first contest was washed out. Kishan and Vihari's rebuilding platform was well used by Sarfaraz Khan, who scored a fighting knock of 71.
India A were eventually bowled out for 276, falling short of South Africa A's score of 297. The Proteas were cruising at 98-1 in their second innings before Ishan Porel triggered an Indian comeback.
The all-rounder took two wickets in the final session to keep the second-string Proteas unit at bay. Ishan Kishan affected the run-out of skipper Pieter Malan in the second innings.
India A's contest against South Africa A is the only sanctioned match in the country at the moment. Cricket South Africa have postponed all of their domestic games due to concerns over COVID-19. The nation is currently gripped by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.