Dinesh Mongia defied South Africa with a patient tonne on the second day of their practice game against an Indian Board President’s XI in Jaipur on Monday.
Mongia slammed 135 not out as the home side reached 320-5 in reply to South Africa’s 226-5 declared at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. Hemang Badani was the other not-out batsman on 49.
Mongia — who has played 48 one-dayers for India, including matches at last year’s World Cup in South Africa, but has yet to play a Test — struck 16 fours during his five-hour vigil.
His association for the sixth wicket with Test discard Badani was already worth 112 runs, the highest in the match so far.
Mongia was also involved in useful partnerships with two other Test aspirants who failed to notch up big scores after starting out well.
Mongia, who plays for Lancashire in the English league, put on 91 runs for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Dhoni (39).
Dhoni struck six fours and one six in an entertaining knock before he went for a reverse-sweep to leg-spinner Justin Ontong and was caught behind by Thami Tsolekile.
Mongia earlier added 56 for the fourth wicket with Venugopal Rao (29), who struck four boundaries before Andrew Hall at square-leg latched on to a flick shot off seamer Zander de Bruyn.
Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Ontong and Zander de Bruyn all took one wicket each for South Africa.
India and South Africa are due to play Tests in Kanpur (November 20 to 24) and Calcutta (November 28 to Dec 2). — Sapa-AFP
Brief scores:
South Africa 226-5 declared; Indian Board President’s XI 320-5 (D Mongia 135 not out, H Badani 49 not out, M Dhoni 39)