Clean hitting, staring at the bowler, fist-bumping an opponent and mentoring a nervous teammate. These were some notable moments showcased by Shikhar Dhawan on an otherwise gloomy day.
With India A 3-0 up in the five-match series against South Africa A, all eyes in the fourth were on Dhawan. But in store was a rain-marred match, which will resume on Thursday. Play started 90 minutes late and a 43-over match was decided upon.
The South Africans had batted 22 overs when rain returned, reducing the game to 25 overs per side. The visitors finished at 137/1, setting a revised target of 193. India A were 56/1 after 7.4 at close. The remaining overs will be played on Thursday.
Dhawan was scoring at a strike rate of over 157. Pacer Anrich Nortje was about to engage in a stare-down with Dhawan when he edged him to the boundary. But Nortje mellowed down after seeing Dhawan stare back.
The same trick had worked against Shubman Gill earlier. A brushing of shoulders and exchange of words saw Gill lose focus and get dismissed. Next man Prashant Chopra struggled, but Dhawan counselled him from the other end.
Brief scores: SA A 137/1 in 25 overs (Reeza 60 n.o) vs India A 56/1 in 7.2 overs (Dhawan 33 n.o). Match to be completed on Thursday.