India A take on South Africa A in first four-day game

Krishgiri, Aug 17: On a high after their limited overs tri-series fil win over Australia A, India A will aim to take their recent form into the longer format when they take on South Africa A in their first four-day match which starts at the Krishgiri Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Ambati Rayudu will lead the hosts in the two-match series.

Before the tri-series, India A had played a couple of four-day matches against Australia A. The first match was drawn while the hosts lost the second by 10 wickets despite the presence of acknowledged batsmen Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha.

But that debacle should not play on the hosts’ minds. The Rahul Dravid-coached side will aim to look at the upcoming game as a fresh start and deliver their best. Apart from Rayudu, vice-captain Karun ir, Abhiv Mukund and Shreyas Iyer will hold the key in the batting department.

Medium-pacer Ishwar Pandey, young right-arm spinner Baba Aparajith, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun will be the strengths as far as the team’s bowling is concerned.

Pandey, who has 139 wickets from 35 first-class matches with 8/84 being his best figures, will lead the pace attack.

On the other hand, the South Africans ruined their tour when 10 of their players were hospitalized due to food poisoning during the tri-series. It was one of the reasons they did not perform well, and the Proteas will aim to fix the damage by bringing in their best in the longer format. IANS