Opening batsmen Ravikumar Samarth and Sudip Chatterjee shared a 106-run partnership, giving India ‘A’ a solid foundation in response to South Africa A’s 322-run first-innings total on day two of a four-day match in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
Samarth and Chatterjee scored 77 and 46 runs respectively, with Shreyas Iyer adding an unbeaten 74-ball 56, leaving the visitors on 181/3 at stumps and the match on an even keel.
Dane Paterson (1/33), Shaun von Berg (1/36) and Dane Piedt (1/61) were the day’s wicket-takers as the home side piled on the pressure in the last session.
Earlier in the day, India’s Shahbaz Nadeem and Navdeep Saini returned respective figures of 4/118 and 3/66 as they bowled the hosts out for 322.
Omphile Ramela played a gutsy innings that saw him bring up his 19th first-class half-century before he was bowled for 51 by Ankit Rajpoot (1/47).
His overnight batting partner, Andile Phehlukwayo (15), did not get off the mark, losing his wicket in the third over of the day to Saina.
Von Berg played a tidy innings, steadying the ship with Ramela after the loss of Phehlukwayo and doing so again with Paterson (6) after the loss of Piedt for one.
His was the last wicket to fall, having fought hard for his 38 runs (95 balls, 4x4).
Day three sees the match in the balance with both sides determined to have the upperhand at the close.
South Africa are 1-0 up in the series after claiming an emphatic 235-run win in Pretoria last week.