India A drew their two-match unofficial Test series against South Africa A 1-1, prepping for the upcoming senior Test series. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul returned to form, Dhruv Jurel excelled, while others struggled in key batting and bowling roles.

India A's two-match unofficial Test series against South Africa A concluded with the visiting team drawing the series 1-1 following a victory in the second match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 9. India A, led by Rishabh Pant, won the opening game by three wickets before falling short in the second unofficial Test, allowing South Africa A to chase down a 417-run target and level the series 1-1.

As part of the preparation for the South Africa Test series, which will begin on November 14 in Kolkata, a few senior players, including Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav, featured in the India A matches to regain form and rhythm.

Let's take a look at how India's A players performed in the two-match unofficial series against South Africa A ahead of the South Africa Test series.

India A captain Rishabh Pant made his return to competitive cricket in the recently concluded two-match unofficial Test series against South Africa A. India Test vice-captain was on the sidelines for three months due to a fractured foot during the Old Trafford Test against England in Manchester in July. Pant's return to action was a big boost for Team India ahead of the South Africa Tests.

The 27-year-old regained his rhythm and confidence with the bat as he amassed 196 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 49.00 in four innings across two matches. His best performance was in the first unofficial Test at the BCCI CoE Ground in Bengaluru, playing a brilliant innings of 90 off 111 balls to help India A chase down a 277-run target on the final day. However, Rishabh Pant had an injury scare in the second match after being struck triple body blow, but walked in to bat again after retiring hurt and scored an unbeaten 65 off 54 balls.

Dhruv Jurel was the standout batter for India A in the South Africa A unofficial Test series. Though he featured in only one game, Jurel made a strong impression with his exceptional performance on a challenging pitch at the BCCI CoE Ground in Bengaluru. In the first innings of the second unofficial Test, Jurel was a lone warrior as his 132-run knock guided India A to 255 all out.

In the second innings, Dhruv Jurel scored 127 off 170 balls and forged a 184-run stand for the sixth wicket with Harsh Dubey (84) before stitching an 84-run stand with Rishabh Pant for the seventh wicket as India declared their innings at 382/7 and set a 417-run target for South Africa to chase. With back-to-back tons, Jurel became hard to ignore for India's playing XI for the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa in Kolkata.

The young batter Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut against England in June this year, did not have an ideal preparation for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. In two unofficial Tests against South Africa A, Sudharsan scored just 84 runs at an average of 21 across four innings. While his technique looked compact, the 22-year-old struggled to convert his starts into substantial knocks.

Sudharsan's struggle to play spin with confidence was evident, especially the way he was trapped LBW by Prenelan Subrayen in the first innings of the second unofficial Test. Though he is a technically sound batter, Sai Sudharsan needs to work on his footwork and shot selection against spinners in the upcoming South Africa Test series. Team management is grooming Sudharsan as the next no.3 batter after Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement, and his adaptability on turning Indian pitches will be crucial to how he can cement in that role.

After the ODI tour of Australia, Mohammed Siraj returned to India to prepare for the South Africa Test series by playing in India A's second unofficial Test against South Africa A. In his only outing, Siraj picked three wickets and conceded 114 runs at an average of 38.00 across both innings. In the second innings, the 31-year-old conceded 53 runs and picked one wicket in 17 overs, and his lack of overall penetration helped South Africa A chase down the 417-run target.

Given his experience of playing red-ball cricket for Team India, Mohammed Siraj is expected to refine and lengths and support the lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah during the South Africa Test series. He might not have had an ideal outing in an unofficial Test against South Africa A, but his experience makes him a reliable fallback option. Due to his proven track record, Siraj is the second pace bowling option after Bumrah.

Devdutt Padikkal's performance in India A's two unofficial Tests against South Africa A has raised concerns about his readiness at the top order ahead of the South Africa series. The 25-year-old scored just 40 runs at an average of 10 across four innings of the series, highlighting his struggle to build big innings and putting his selection at the top of the order for the South Africa Test series under scrutiny.

Padikkal is in contention for the No.3 batting spot alongside Sai Sudharsan, but his recent poor form in the South Africa A series has cast doubt on his readiness to take up the role. Karnataka batter featured only two matches and scored just 90 runs, including a 65-run innings against England at Dharamshala last year, at an average of 30.

Kuldeeop Yadav was released from the India T20I squad of the recently concluded series against Australia and returned to India to join India A for the second unofficial Test against South Africa A as a part of preparation for the upcoming South Africa series. However, Kuldeep did not have an ideal outing as he took only one wicket and 147 runs across both innings.

Kuldeep went wicketless and conceded 81 runs at an economy rate of 4.80 in 17 overs as South Africa successfully chased down the 417-run target. The 30-year-old is the lone specialist spinner in the India Test squad for the South Africa series, placing major responsibility on him to lead the spin attack. Kuldeep Yadav will look to get back to his rhythm ahead of the South Africa Test series.

KL Rahul was unavailable for the first unofficial Test but returned to play for the second game against South Africa A. However, the Indian opener scored just 46 runs at an average of 23 across both innings of the second multi-day match against South Africa A. The 33-year-old struggled to regain his form as he was dismissed early in the innings and failed to build a partnership at the top order.

KL Rahul is one of the key batters for Team India in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, and his role as an opener in setting the tone for India's innings at home, especially given their push in the World Test Championship. The veteran is expected to return to form despite recent struggles to shore up India's top order.

Akash Deep made his Test return after he was sidelined from the West Indies Test series due to the gruelling England tour, where he picked 13 wickets in three matches. In his competitive outing, Akash struggled with his rhythm as he could pick only three wickets while conceding 134 runs at an average of 44.66 and an economy rate of 4.18 across both innings on the second unofficial Test against South Africa A.

In the second innings, Akash Deep could not contain South Africa's batting line-up as he registered figures of 1/106 at an economy rate of 4.80 in 22 overs. The 28-year-old is the third pace bowling option in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, and is expected to support the lead pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj while regaining form and consistency in the red-ball format.

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