In a dramatic encounter at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Sri Lanka A defeated India A in a thrilling Super Over finish in the tri-series. The contest was defined by heavy lower-order recoveries, late drama, a rare double-penalty incident, and post-match tensions between the two sides after the game finished in a tie in regulation time.
After Sri Lanka A won the toss and elected to bowl first, India A’s powerhouse top-order suffered a mini collapse with openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh back in the hut by the seventh over. A 52-run stand ensued between skipper Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad, before India lost their next five wickets at regular intervals for an addition of mere 52 runs. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth caused serious damage in the middle overs, picking up three for 26. That included the wickets of Gaikwad, Nishant Sindhu and Anukul Roy in quick succession.
India A found themselves reeling at 125 for 6 and shortly after, an alarming 143 for 7. That’s when a rescue act was brilliantly orchestrated by the lower-order all-rounders, Suryansh Shedge and Vipraj Nigam. Batting at No. 7, Shedge played a remarkably mature and aggressive innings, top-scoring with 72 runs off 66 balls, which included three boundaries and two massive sixes. He found an ideal ally in Nigam, who compiled a crucial 51 runs from 49 balls before his run-out. The duo staged a counter-attack that quickly shifted the momentum back in India’s favor through a defiant 104-run partnership.
The fine partnership ended in a dramatic mix-up when Shedge called for a quick single; Nigam selflessly stepped out of his crease to sacrifice his own wicket to keep the in-form Shedge on the park. Shedge was eventually the last man out, caught excellently by Ahan Wickramasinghe off Mohamed Shiraz’s bowling, bundling India A out for 265 in 49.2 overs. India A’s batting performance included repeated breaches of regulations by running on the protected middle area of the pitch resulting in two separate five-run penalties after an initial warning. Consequently, Sri Lanka A were awarded 10 runs before facing a single ball, allowing them to remarkably start their run chase at 10 for 0.
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