Chasing a target of 278, Sri Lanka A looked poised for victory as captain Sahan Arachchige delivered an impressive 74 off 72 balls. However, a startling collapse saw them lose their last four wickets in just 10 balls, including three in the final over bowled by pacer Arshad Khan, handing India A a narrow win.
Veteran Ruturaj Gaikwad played a steady innings, scoring 101 to guide India A to a total of 277 for six.
The spin duo of Ayush Badoni (2/46) and Anukul Roy (2/49) played pivotal roles in keeping India in contention after the pace attack, particularly Anshul Kamboj, conceded runs early in Sri Lanka A’s chase.
Sahan, an experienced international player, brought his team close to victory before being dismissed by a well-executed yorker from Kamboj. A series of soft dismissals at the end of the innings ultimately gifted a narrow win to the Tilak Verma-led side.
India A’s next match is against Afghanistan A here on June 11.
The game also featured the return of Niroshan Dickwella (47 off 45), who formed an opening partnership of 93 with fellow Sri Lankan international Avishka Fernando (45 off 59). Both openers fell victim to Badoni’s bowling, unable to execute their slog sweeps correctly.
After opting to bat, India A found themselves in early trouble at 16 for two in five overs, following the dismissals of Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh.
However, vice-captain Gaikwad, achieving his 21st List A century in 112 balls, and skipper Tilak Varma (60, 97b) stabilized the innings with a solid 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Strong winds swept across the ground, and the pitch provided assistance to bowlers, rendering batting quite challenging.
Despite this, Gaikwad and Tilak utilized their extensive domestic experience to counter Sri Lanka’s attack after coming together at 69 for three.
The Indian batsmen started cautiously, primarily accumulating runs through singles and doubles in the early stages.
Gaikwad showcased aggression at times, notably smashing spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth for a six over mid-wicket, which marked the completion of his fifty off 66 balls.
He then accelerated the scoring rate, while Tilak focused on rotating the strike. The left-hander also reached his fifty in 86 balls with a six over mid-off off slinger Garuka Sanketh.
Gaikwad brought up his century with a single off left-arm spinner Wanuj Sahan but was dismissed shortly after while attempting to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary against the same bowler.
Tilak was dismissed soon after, bowled while attempting a ramp shot against pacer Mohamed Shiraz (2/67).
However, Ayush Badoni (24, 18b) and Suryansh Shedge (26 not out, 14b) contributed a brisk 46 runs, pushing India past the 270-run mark.
There was considerable attention on Sooryavanshi’s performance; he looked in good form with three boundaries. However, a lapse in patience cut his innings short—an attempted bunt over mid-off against Shiraz resulted in a catch to a diving Sahan Arachchige.
Priyansh Arya contributed a quickfire 32, but a catastrophic mix-up with Gaikwad led to his run-out.
Brief Scores: India A: 277/6 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 101, Tilak Varma 60; Mohamed Shiraz 2/67). Sri Lanka A: 269 all out in 48.5 overs (Sahan Arachchige 74; Arshad Khan 2/24, Ayush Badoni 2/46).
