In a rain-marred tri-nation series encounter in Dambulla on Thursday, Afghanistan A pulled off a huge shock by defeating star-studded India A by four runs using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
Batting first, India A amassed a formidable 349/9 in a rain-shortened 49-overs innings. Prabhsimran Singh led the charge with a scorching 84 off 69 balls, helped along by half-centuries from captain Tilak Varma (66) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (66).
Afghanistan A’s target was changed to 294 runs from 38 overs using the DLS method due to persistent rain breaks. Afghanistan remained in the hunt when captain Imran (75 not out off 70 balls) and Hassan Eisakhil (34 off 29 balls) had an explosive start. When another spell of rain halted play, Imran and Bahir Shah (51 off 52 balls) led them to 177/2 in 25.5 overs.
Afghanistan was adjudged to be four runs ahead of the par score necessary at that point in the game, sealing their victory.
Earlier, India A scored a huge total riding on well-timed fifties from captain Tilak, vice-captain Ruturaj, and opener Prabhsimran. Throughout the India A innings, Afghanistan’s bowlers found it difficult to restrict the Indian batters.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi began India’s surge with a 22-ball 44 that included nine fours. The youthful left-hander showed that he is equally skilled at finding holes in the field for boundaries by maintaining a strike-rate of 200 without even hitting a six.
In just 7.1 overs, Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran scored 74 runs for the first wicket, setting India up for a significant total. Abdollah Ahmadzai, the most successful Afghan bowler of the day with a five-wicket haul (5/68), was defeated by stumper Mohmmad Ishaq when attempting the ramp shot by Sooryavanshi, who once again succumbed to a bouncer outside the off-stump.
However, India rarely lost that early momentum. Following Priyansh Arya’s brief stint, Prabhsimran added 79 runs for the third wicket alongside Gaikwad, who reached his second consecutive fifty-plus score of the competition.
Gaikwad added 78 runs for the fourth wicket with Tilak, who also scored his second consecutive fifty, while Prabhsimran was dismissed by part-time Imran Mir just short of a deserving hundred. However, India briefly slumped to 245/5 from 245/3 in the 38th over as Gaikwad and Ayush Badoni were dismissed off consecutive balls by Farmanullah Safi (3/85).
However, Tilak found a capable ally in the aggressive Suryansh Shedge (40, 27b), and together they added 70 runs for the sixth wicket in just seven overs as India easily surpassed the 300-run threshold.
