India A beat Sri Lanka A in the opening game of the tri-nation A series, which also includes Afghanistan A. The match, which was neck-and-neck throughout, ended in nail-biting fashion.
The India A vs Sri Lanka A game was Match 1 in the ODI Tri-Nation A series being played in Sri Lanka. The venue was the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla and saw the Men in Blue win the toss and decide to bat first.
India A Beat Sri Lanka A In A Thriller: What Happened in the Match?
The dynamic duo of Prabhsimran Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the batting for India A. Sooryavanshi, who was the Player of the Tournament of IPL 2026, did not have a memorable outing today, getting out in the fourth over for 14 off 12 balls. Prabhsimran departed almost immediately after, making just two runs.
The pair of Priyansh Arya and Ruturaj Gaikwad provided the team with some stability, taking the inning past the 10-over mark without losing another wicket. Arya was the next one to depart at the end of the 13th over. He was out for a run-a-ball 32, and the team score was 69/3.
Gaikwad then constructed the core of this innings alongside team captain Tilak Varma. The two batted together for 30 overs and scored 150 runs on a turning track. Gaikwad, after scoring a ton, got out for 101 off 114 in the 44th over. The team total had already crossed 200 runs at this point.
Tilak scored a valiant 60 off 97, while Ayush Badoni and Suryansh Shedge gave the team a strong finish. The India A innings ended at 277/6 in 50 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka A came out of the gates strong. The opening duo of Niroshan Dickwell and Avishka Fernando made 93 runs together in about 16 overs before Fernando was dismissed by Ayush Badoni. Dickwella departed soon after, becoming Badoni’s second wicket.
A third wicket fell soon after, as Nawindu Fernando became Vipraj Nigam’s first wicket of the day. And just like that, the hosts were in trouble at 109/3 in the 22nd over.
The duo of Sadeeera Samarawickrama and captain Sagan Arachchige stabilized the innings, batted together for 12 overs, and made 78 runs together before the dismissal of Samarawickrama for 46 off 51.
While Raviku Fernando got out for cheap, the skipper batted this innings right through to the end of the 44th over. Meanwhile, all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne made nine runs before getting out.
Sri Lanka A stood at 237/6 at this moment, needing 41 runs in six overs to win. But most of their middle order was gone by this point.
Seven runs came in the 45th over, 12 came in the 46th, and five came off the 47th over. Now, only 17 were needed in four overs with four wickets still in hand. But what followed next was a close of the highest order.
In the 48th over, bowled by Kamboj, Sri Lankan skipper Sahan Arachchige, who was batting at 74 off 72 and had carried the innings on his back, was bowled on the first ball. But with seven runs coming in that over, the hosts needed 10 in two overs with three wickets in hand.
The 49th over was to be bowled by Arshad Khan. On the first ball, a single. Then, on the second, Vijaykanth Viyaskanth was caught before the wicket for five off four. The third ball brought another wicket, a run-out of the only remaining recognised batter, Wanuja Sahan, after a comedy of errors. The only remaining wicket fell on the fifth ball as India A won this game by eight wickets.
For his stellar century, Ruturaj Gaikwad was named the Player of the Match.
This India A vs Sri Lanka A provided a thrilling start to this series. The next game in this three-team competition will see Afghanistan A take on the Indians on June 11. Winning that match will make India A favorite to reach the final.
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