India A employed as many as eight bowlers in the first unofficial ODI against South Africa A in Rajkot, showcasing captain Tilak Varma’s flexible bowling strategy during the innings. Despite using a long bowling roster, South Africa A posted 285/9 in 50 overs.
Pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler, finishing with 2/59, while Harshit Rana also picked up 2/49. Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Riyan Parag and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with one wicket each.
Tilak Varma bowled three overs himself but went wicketless, conceding 20 runs. The decision to use a diverse bowling attack came as South Africa A’s middle order—particularly Delano Potgieter (90) and Dian Forrester (77)—steadied the innings with vital partnerships.
India A’s bowling card:
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Arshdeep Singh: 10-1-59-2
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Prasidh Krishna: 10-1-57-1
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Harshit Rana: 10-1-49-2
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Nishant Sindhu: 6-0-21-1
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Tilak Varma (c): 3-0-20-0
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Vipraj Nigam: 5-0-34-0
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Riyan Parag: 4-0-21-1
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Nitish Kumar Reddy: 2-0-18-1
The eight-bowler strategy highlighted India A’s depth and the captain’s willingness to experiment early in the series.
