India A beat Afghanistan A by 101 runs to reach tri-series final

India A (Pic: BCCI)

Half-centuries from Priyansh Arya, captain Tilak Varma, and Kumar Kushagra, helped by a superb all-round performance from Nishant Sindhu, propelled India A to a dominant 101-run victory over Afghanistan A, booking their place in the tri-nation series final.

India A entered this must-win fixture under immense pressure, having managed only a single victory alongside two defeats earlier in the tournament. However, this win has successfully guaranteed them a spot in the summit clash, while the upcoming match between Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A on Friday will determine the second finalist.

Earlier, Afghanistan A won the toss and elected to field first. Openers Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a flying start for India A, stitching together a rapid 75-run opening partnership. Sooryavanshi looked dangerous, striking four boundaries and two maximums in his 28-ball 38 before departing.

Following the departures of Arya, who smashed 58 off 32 balls, with nine fours and a six, and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (30 off 31 balls), the innings was stabilised by the captain and the wicketkeeper. Tilak Varma (59 off 75 balls) and Kumar Kushagra (58 off 67 balls) formed an important 104-run partnership to put India A in a commanding position.

Down the order, valuable cameos from Nishant Sindhu (21 not out off 26 balls) and Vipraj Nigam pushed India A to a big total of 319/8 in their 50 overs. Among the Afghan bowlers, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai, and Farmanullah Safi picked up two wickets apiece.

Nishant Sindhu's four wickets derail Afghanistan A chase

In response, Afghanistan A endured a difficult start to their run chase and were quickly reduced to 70/3. Despite the early setbacks, a fighting 87-run partnership between Faisal Shinozada (46 off 56 balls) and Bahir Shah (57 off 52 balls) triggered a fightback for the chasing side.

However, India A quickly reasserted its dominance. Left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu ran through the opposition lineup with superb figures of 4/31, while pacer Yash Thakur chipped in with 2/48 to restrict Afghanistan A to 218 runs in 36.5 overs.

Anshul Kamboj, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, and Anukul Roy also claimed one wicket each to wrap up the innings.

(With ANI inputs)