Krishnagiri (Kerala), Aug 18 (IANS): Riding on a brilliant century by batsman Omphile Ramela, South Africa A reached a commendable score of 293/4 in 88 overs at stumps on the first day against India A in their first four-day match at the Krishnagiri Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Left-hander Ramela struck a fluent 121 off 197 balls with 12 fours and three sixes before getting out just before stumps. Temba Bavuma (55 not out) and Dane Piedt (0 not out) remained unbeaten for the visitors at end of first day's play.

For the hosts, left-arm spinner Axar Patel claimed two wickets while Ishwar Pandey and Jayant Yadav picked one wicket each.

Choosing to bat first, the visitors got off to a comparatively slow start with openers Reeza Hendricks (50) and Stiaan van Zyl (28) taking time to settle down.

Soon after the completion of first 10 overs, Hendricks was more aggressive as he managed to score couple of boundaries to take his team past the 50-run mark.

But the 20th over of the innings brought the breaks in the scoring as Jayant got Van Zyl caught by skipper Ambati Rayudu to have South Africa A score at 60/1.

Incoming batsman Theunis de Bruyn (38) provided good support to Hendricks, as the duo took the score close to 100-run mark. But the wicket of set batsman Hendricks in the 29th over brought their 40-run partnership to an end.

De Bruyn, after striking seven boundaries in his 63-ball 38, fell to left-arm spinner Patel. till this time, the visitors were 157/3 in 47.3 overs.

But some sensible batting by Ramela and Bavuma later in the day helped South Africa A reach close to 300-run mark and stay on course for a big score on the second day. The duo struck a 136-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Ramela hit 12 fours and three sixes during the knock.

Earlier, play was halted for about 30 minutes before tea due to rain.

Brief scores: South Africa A 293/4 in 88 overs (Omphile Ramela 112, Temba Bavuma 55 not out, Reeza Hendricks 50; Axar Patel 2-52, Ishwar Pandey 1-56, Jayant Yadav 1-88) vs India A.