India A 234 and 119 for 4 (Pant 64*, Patidar 28, Moreki 2-12, van Vuuren 1-20) need another 156 runs to beat South Africa A 309 and 199 (Hamza 37, Senokwane 37, Kotian 4-26, Kamboj 3-39)
But with nine minutes left for stumps, left-arm quick Tiaan van Vuuren prised out Patidar as he attempted an upper cut but only managed a tickle through to the wicketkeeper. India A finished on 119 for 4, with South Africa A visibly unhappy with Pant taking his own time to receive treatment for cramps from the physio. This helped shave off four minutes from the clock. Ayush Badoni then played out six nervous deliveries, surviving a sharp bouncer that lobbed off the glove and had short leg scrambling a dive to almost pull off a stunner off the final ball of play.
For the early part of the final session, this wasn’t the typically belligerent Pant innings. After starting with back-to-back boundaries off his third and fourth balls on walking in at 32 for 3, he settled into a period of restraint, defending solidly and dead-batting his way through the next 24 deliveries.
Even with mid-off and mid-on up, Pant resisted the temptation to go aerial against offspinner Prenelan Subrayen, who was spitting venom in the first innings while picking up a five-wicket haul. Then, just when South Africa A seemed to have contained him, Pant broke free, skipping down the track to loft Subrayen inside out for a majestic six.
Once he found his rhythm, Pant’s big hits became a regular feature through the afternoon. This change in approach offered South Africa A a golden chance when a half-flick, half-sweep off van Vuuren went straight to Okuhle Cele at fine leg. But Cele went low with his palms facing upward, and the ball slipped through.
Pant, on 46 at the time, made the most of the reprieve, soon bringing up his half-century off just 65 balls when he crashed Subrayen on the up to the extra-cover boundary. And in what seemed like the biggest indication that he was well and truly back, he danced down a ball later to whip him from outside off to the deep midwicket fence.
Like Pant, Patidar too had a very early reprieve soon after the tea interval. On 7, he should’ve been out poking to second slip, where Jordan Hermann put down a sitter off Cele. For much of the final session, Patidar quietly accumulated runs, and denied himself even when opportunities to drive were there with cover open.
His only real flourish came when he leaned into a crisp on-the-up drive through cover off van Vuuren, during a spell when Pant was already taking the attack to the bowlers. But with stumps approaching, an ill-judged attempt at a cheeky upper cut brought his downfall.
Earlier, India A had been in deep trouble. Ayush Mhatre, fresh off a first-innings half-century, chopped on while attempting a cut; Devdutt Padikkal was bowled neck and crop by an in-ducker; and Sai Sudharsan fell lbw playing across the line. That was when Pant arrived, first to weather the storm, and then to seize control with trademark flair.
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
