Image: Pretorius and Moonsamy hit centuries in South Africa A's 325 / © ESPNcricinfo
The final ODI between India A and South Africa A, the series decider in all but name after India A had already sealed the trophy with wins in the first two games. It was played under lights at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on November 19, 2025. Tilak Varma won the toss and had no hesitation in asking South Africa A to bat first, hoping his bowlers could exploit early moisture and set up a comfortable chase.
South Africa A’s innings was built almost entirely around a sensational opening partnership between Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rivaldo Moonsamy. From the moment Pretorius walked out to open, he looked a class apart. He started cautiously against the moving ball, but once he got his eye in, there was no stopping him. Khaleel Ahmed and Prasidh Krishna bowled tight lines in the first powerplay, but Pretorius picked off anything short or wide with ridiculous ease. A pulled six off Khaleel in the fifth over set the tone, and soon he was driving Prasidh effortlessly through cover. Moonsamy, at the other end, was happy to rotate strike initially but gradually found his rhythm too.
By the 15-over mark, South Africa A were already cruising at 90 without loss. The introduction of spin did nothing to slow them down. Nishant Sindhu and Manav Suthar were both treated with disrespect. Pretorius danced down the track to loft Suthar over long-on for six, while Moonsamy swept and reverse-swept Sindhu with confidence. The 100-run stand came up in just the 19th over, and there was a sense in the stadium that something special was brewing. Moonsamy brought up his hundred first, off 119 balls with a gentle push for two, raising his bat modestly to acknowledge the applause.
Pretorius wasn’t far behind. He reached his century in the 32nd over with a glorious straight drive off Tilak Varma, celebrating with a leap and a roar, 100 off just 86 balls. The 200-run partnership arrived soon after, and at 241 for no loss after 37 overs, South Africa A were dreaming of 380-400. Then came the dramatic twist. Prasidh Krishna, who had been expensive until then, produced a beauty that nipped back to trap Moonsamy lbw for a magnificent 107.
The very next over, Pretorius tried one big shot too many and holed out to deep midwicket for 123 off 98 balls, a knock that included nine fours and six sixes. In the space of eight deliveries, the game had flipped. Sinethemba Qeshile edged Harshit Rana behind for 1, and suddenly South Africa A were 248 for 3. Rubin Hermann struggled against the moving ball and was caught in the slips for 11. Captain Marques Ackerman tried to force the pace but found long-on for 16. Dian Forrester never got going and was caught at long-on for 20. From 241 for 0, South Africa A had slipped to 282 for 5, a collapse of five wickets for 41 runs in less than nine overs.
Thankfully for the visitors, Delano Potgieter kept his cool at the death. He targeted the short boundary, smashing Harshit Rana for two sixes in the 49th over and finished unbeaten on 30 off just 15 balls. Bjorn Fortuin hung around for a couple of balls, and the pair added a vital 14 runs in the last over. South Africa A eventually finished on 325 for 6, still an imposing total, but one that fell 30-40 runs short of what had looked possible half an hour earlier.
Prasidh Krishna ended with 2 for 52, Khaleel Ahmed and Harshit Rana picked up two each, but most of the bowlers had been taken apart during that brutal opening stand. The spinners and part-timers were particularly expensive, with even Tilak Varma and Ayush Badoni leaking runs at more than eight an over. South Africa A had posted the highest total of the series, and India A now needed their highest successful chase ever in A-team cricket to win the match.
India A’s chase began in the worst possible fashion. Abhishek Sharma, promoted to open again, threw his hands at a wide delivery from Tshepo Moreki and was caught in the slips for 11. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma tried to rebuild, but both looked strangely subdued. Varma, in particular, never seemed comfortable against the moving ball and was bowled through the gate by Moreki for 11. When Gaikwad played back to a Bjorn Fortuin arm-ball and lost his stumps for 25, India A were 57 for 3 and in deep trouble. Riyan Parag announced himself with a crisp cover drive but soon skied a catch to mid-off off Delano Potgieter, leaving the hosts 82 for 4 in the 17th over. The required rate had already climbed above eight, and the Rajkot crowd had gone quiet.
Ishan Kishan and Ayush Badoni then produced the only meaningful partnership of the innings. Kishan took his time to settle, happy to knock the ball around while Badoni took calculated risks at the other end. Badoni was severe on anything short. He pulled Lutho Sipamla for two sixes in an over and also drove Nqabayomzi Peter beautifully through extra cover. Kishan joined the party with a couple of trademark lofted cover drives. The 50-run stand came up quickly, and for the first time in the chase, India A looked like they believed. Badoni brought up his fifty off just 46 balls with a wonderful knock full of confidence and timing. The 100-run partnership looked there for the taking, and at 170 for 4 after 33 overs, a miracle didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Then came the turning point. Nqabayomzi Peter, who had been steady but not threatening until then, produced a perfect slower cutter that Kishan miscued to deep midwicket for 53. Four overs later, Badoni chased a wide delivery from the same bowler and edged to the keeper for a superb 66 off 66 balls, easily the best batting performance from an Indian in the match. What followed was nothing short of a collapse. Harshit Rana bagged a golden duck, caught at slip off Peter. Two balls later, Nishant Sindhu played around a straight one from Fortuin and was bowled.
In the space of eight deliveries, India A had lost four wickets without adding a run and slipped from 201 for 5 to 201 for 8. Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar tried to delay the inevitable with a 39-run ninth-wicket stand. Prasidh swung merrily for 23, while Suthar played some elegant drives for his 23. But Peter returned to have Prasidh caught at long-off, and Moreki sealed the game by cleaning up Suthar in the 50th over. India A were all out for 252 in 49.1 overs, falling 73 runs short. Nqabayomzi Peter finished with excellent figures of 4 for 48, constantly varying his pace and deceiving the batters in the air.
Tshepo Moreki took 3 for 58 and was brilliant with both new ball and old, while Bjorn Fortuin’s left-arm spin accounted for the key wickets of Gaikwad and Sindhu. Lhuan-dre Pretorius was named Player of the Match for his breathtaking 123, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite the loss, took home the Player of the Series award for his 210 runs across three innings. South Africa A left India with pride restored after a thumping victory, while India A, despite winning the series 2-1, were left to reflect on a disappointing finish to what had been a dominant tour until the final evening in Rajkot.
For the game, the TCNI Magic Moment of the Game rightfully went to South Africa A opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius for his breathtaking 123 off just 98 balls. Walking in to open the innings, the 20-year-old left-hander took the Indian bowling attack apart on a lively pitch, striking at an incredible 125.51. He smashed nine fours and six towering sixes, treating the crowd to some of the cleanest hitting of the day.
Pretorius gave his side the perfect flying start, racing along while others struggled to get going. His 241-run opening partnership with Rivaldo Moonsamy (107) completely dominated the first 37 overs and put India A on the back foot right from the beginning. Even after Moonsamy fell, Pretorius kept going, reaching a brilliant hundred before finally holing out in the 38th over to Tilak Varma off Prasidh Krishna.
When the innings looked like it was falling apart at 82 for 4, Ayush Badoni walked in. He changed everything for India A. Coming in at No. 6, the 24-year-old from Delhi played the most important knock of the match, smashing a classy 66 off just 68 balls with six fours and a six, batting at a strike rate of exactly 100. While others struggled against a disciplined South Africa A attack, Badoni stayed calm and built a match-turning 88-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ishan Kishan (53). He kept the scoreboard moving, found gaps easily, and hit the bad balls cleanly.
Even after Kishan fell, Badoni continued to fight, taking India A from a shaky position to a respectable 201 for 6 before being caught behind off Nqabayomzi Peter in the 38th over. His fighting innings made sure India A reached 252 in 49.1 overs while chasing 326, keeping the home side in the game longer than anyone expected. For his cool head, smart batting, and crucial 66 that gave India A hope, Ayush Badoni was rightly named the TCNI Hero of the Day in the series-deciding third unofficial ODI at Rajkot.