Sooryavanshi clashes with Sri Lanka A players as India A face Super over loss

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Pic: X)

Sri Lanka A defeated India A in a thrilling match that was decided by a Super Over. After India A's loss, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was involved in an altercation with a Sri Lanka A player.

Tensions boiled over after Sri Lankan speedster Kugathas Mathulan held his nerve in the Super over, successfully defending a target of 16 runs against India's explosive batting pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge.

The electric finish led to physical altercations on the field, with Sooryavanshi spotted pushing a Sri Lankan cricketer immediately after the final delivery. During the Super Over, Sooryavanshi did not face the first ball, adding to the India A's problem.

During the standard 50 overs, left-arm speedster Arshad Khan delivered a brilliant final over to force the tie. Arshad, who represented the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, gave away just four runs in the final over when the hosts required just five for victory.

The initial tie triggered confusion on the field, with the match officials and team leaders initially hesitant to proceed with a shootout due to rapidly deteriorating light. However, India A skipper Tilak Varma advocated for a result, urging the officials to start the Super Over. Following an intense mid-pitch discussion, the umpires proceeded with the Super Over.

Unfortunately for India A, Arshad was poor in the Super Over as he conceded 16 runs, including a wide and a no-ball. In response, Mathulan excelled under immense pressure, restricting the formidable Indian pair to just nine runs to seal the match for the hosts.

India A scored 265 runs in the first innings

Earlier in the day, Sooryavanshi provided an aggressive start with a quickfire 21 off 14 balls before throwing his wicket away. The innings was subsequently rescued by spin-bowling all-rounders Suryansh Shedge (72 off 66) and Vipraj Nigam (51 off 49), whose crucial half-centuries guided the touring side to a respectable total of 265.

During the middle phase, Tilak Varma (23) and his vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (32) looked comfortable during their 52-run partnership for the third wicket across nine overs.

Struggling at one point, India A found their saviours in Mumbai's Shedge and Uttar Pradesh's Nigam. The duo constructed a brilliant 104-run partnership for the eighth wicket, providing India A with a good finish to set up a competitive total.

Having squandered the series opener against India A due to a late-order batting collapse, Sri Lanka A took this game to the wire too. This result marks India A's second defeat in the tournament, following an earlier setback against Afghanistan A.

(With PTI inputs)