India B led by Niki Prasad defeated India A led by Sanika Chalke in their previous encounter, while South Africa led by skipper Kayla Reyneke also defeated the same opposition in their previous encounter.
India B led by Niki Prasad was up against South Africa led by Kayla Reyneke in the 5th match of the Under-19 Triangular series.
Supriya Arela and Vaishnavi Sharma shine with the ball to restrict South Africa
The South African openers Simone Lourens and D Van Rensberg got their side off to a steady start with a 28-run opening partnership after the opposition skipper Niki Prasad won the toss and opted to field first. Nandhana Sridharan broke the opening partnership by removing Simone Lourens in the 5th over of the innings. C Venter joined D Van Rensberg at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 52-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Supriya Arela cleaned up C Venter to provide the 2nd breakthrough for India B.
Decent partnerships throughout the innings took South Africa to a competitive total of 132/5 in their quota of 20 overs. D Van Rensberg (37 off 45 balls), C Venter (33 off 26 balls), and skipper Kayla Reyneke (27 off 20 balls) were the star performers with the bat for South Africa. Supriya Arela (4-0-21-3), Vaishnavi Sharma (4-0-22-1), and Nandhana Sridharan (4-0-29-1) were impressive with the ball for India B.
Niki Prasad and Bharti Upadhaya instrumental in India B’s 4 wicket win
The home side India B, got off to a poor start by losing the wicket of K Mahanthi Sree in the 2nd over of the innings chasing a total of 133. However, a cameo from the opening batter G Kamalini (11 off 9 balls) brought the innings slightly back on track before she was dismissed by the opposition skipper Kayla Reyneke in the 3rd over of the run chase.
Skipper Niki Prasad joined wicket-keeper batter Bharti Upadhaya at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 58-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side closer to the 100-run mark. An unfortunate run-out ended the wicket-keeper batter Bharti Upadhaya’s (23 off 27 balls) stay at the crease to provide the 3rd breakthrough for South Africa. The duo made a significant contribution, accounting for 54% of the team’s total in the run chase.
India B eventually got over the line with four wickets in hand and 16 balls to spare. Skipper Niki Prasad (49 off 33 balls) missed out on a well-deserved half-century by just one run. She was also the stand-out performer with the bat for India B along with Aayushi Shukla (14 off 15 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Bharti Upadhaya. Luyanda Nzuza (3-0-13-1), F Cowling (3-0-17-1), and skipper Kayla Reyneke (3.2-0-23-1) were the positives with the ball for South Africa.
Skipper Niki Prasad was awarded the Player of the Match for her crucial innings (49 off 33 balls) with the bat for India B in the run chase.
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