Dambulla: Stung by two consecutive defeats in a tournament they were expected to dominate, an India A side filled with IPL specialists, will look to get their act together and return to winning ways when they take on Afghanistan A in their tri-series contest here on Wednesday.
Each of the three teams, including hosts Sri Lanka A, will play against the others twice before the finalists are decided. While two losses have indeed added pressure on the Indian side, a win over Afghanistan A would bolster their chances of making the summit clash.
The hosts Sri Lanka are sitting pretty on top with 4 points and a Net Run Rate of 0.494 with two wins and a defeat in three matches, effectively leaving India and Afghanistan to battle it out among themselves.
Only NRR separates India (2 points, 0.032) and Afghanistan (2 points, -1.392) so far, which means the Tilak Varma-led side will have to show greater resolve and hope inclement weather does not hamper their chances.
Additionally, the contest here on Wednesday could also be India A’s last on this trip as Afghanistan A, who have two matches left, can still outmatch their rivals on points provided they win each of those.
India A had earlier put themselves in a strong position with a massive total of 349 for nine against Afghanistan A, who clinched the game by a mere four runs via DLS Method after reaching 177 for two in 25.5 overs.
On their part, India A would know they are yet to produce a complete game as even against Sri Lanka A in their tournament opener, they were made to work hard for the narrow win by eight runs.
Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s run-in with Sri Lanka A’s Kugathas Mathulan following a Super Over defeat in dying light on Monday has added spice to an otherwise placid event on very slow tracks.
Chasing 17 in the Super Over, India A could only manage nine runs with Sooryavanshi facing the final three balls of the over.
While he was returning back from the middle with his batting partner Suryansh Shedge, Sooryavanshi turned back towards the group of Sri Lankan players who were involved in vociferous celebrations that led to the altercation.
The young batter, meanwhile, was expected to carry his form from the IPL into the tri-series, but Sooryavanshi has not been able to convert his flying starts, recording scores of 14, 44 and 21 so far. The contest here on Wednesday would provide him another opportunity to make his mark.
The form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has scored 204 runs at 68 with one century and a half-century, would thus be crucial for India A along with the contributions of skipper Tilak (149), who has so far hit two half-centuries in three outings.
Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh and even Vipraj Nigam have a half-century to show each.
Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy and Ayush Badoni have taken four wickets apiece in three games so far but their counterparts seem to have done better in the competition. India A, meanwhile, have added tearaway quick Ashok Sharma in place of the injured Yudhvir Singh.
For Afghanistan A, it will be imperative to produce an all-round show against India A as so far they have too have not had a complete game. Apart from the washed-out fixture against India A earlier, Afghanistan A had also lost by a massive eight wickets to Sri Lanka A.
India squad: Tilak Varma (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Priyansh Arya, Ayush Badoni, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Anukul Roy, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur.
Match starts at 10:00am.
