Ruturaj Gaikwad ton and late collapse hand India A opening honours

India A recorded an improbable win in their tri-series opener against hosts Sri Lanka A in Dambulla, snatching victory by an 8-run margin. Chasing 278, victory was in sight for Sri Lanka A at 262/6 but a stunning implosion saw them lose their last four wickets for just seven runs.

The buzz was around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the back of his IPL exploits. He began with a crisp boundary after India A opted to bat first, but soon fell to an excellent catch from skipper Sahan Arachchige. Prabhsimran Singh also departed cheaply, bringing Ruturaj Gaikwad and Priyansh Arya together at 16/2. Arya lofted a full ball over extra cover for six and kept the scoreboard ticking as Gaikwad played second fiddle.

The third-wicket partnership was worth 53 runs but a chaotic mix-up saw Arya run out. Skipper Tilak Varma then joined Gaikwad, who motored along at a decent clip. Tilak paced his innings at a laborious tempo — on 18 off 52 at one stage. Gaikwad reached his half-century with a straight six and continued ticking along.

Tilak got to his fifty with a six off his 85th delivery, shortly after which Gaikwad brought up his 21st List A century. He slog-swept to deep midwicket before Tilak followed him to the hut. Ayush Badoni (24 off 18) chipped in while a 19-run 49th over headlined by Suryansh Shedge slamming a six and two fours added late thrust. Shedge remained unbeaten on 26 off 14 as India A finished on 277/6.

Sri Lanka A began briskly as Niroshan Dickwella scored a boundary off the very first ball. Consecutive boundaries against Anshul Kamboj were followed by Avishka Fernando doing the same off Arshad Khan. Dickwella was the aggressor, his wristy flicks and fine glances standing out. Sri Lanka A raced to 65 in 9 overs.

Shedge dried up an end with Anukul Roy keeping things tight. Ayush Badoni broke the 93-run stand as Fernando swept one to Sooryavanshi. Badoni struck again as Dickwella swept one off a top-edge to short fine leg. When Vipraj Nigam had Nuwanidu Fernando stumped, India A were back in the game.

Arachchige transferred pressure back with a six and couple of fours, while Samarawickrama proved an able foil. A rush of blood consumed Samarawickrama as he holed out to long on in the 34th over. Roy also had Ravindu Fernando out caught and bowled but Arachchige became the third batter to reach his fifty with a maximum.

Despite tight overs, the target seemed within reach as long as Arachchige was in the middle. Wanuja Sahan brought the asking rate under a run-a-ball but India A stretched the game deep. Arachchige was bowled by a Kamboj yorker in the 48th over but Sri Lanka A needed just 10 runs off the last two overs.

That's when chaos ensued. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth was given out LBW. A moment of brainfade saw Sahan call for a run as the ball rolled behind him. Gaikwad ran in, picked up the ball and dislodged the bails, before Vipraj completed a diving catch at deep square leg to seal an incredible win.

Brief Scores: India A 277/6 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 101, Tilak Varma 60; Mohamed Shiraz 2-67) beat Sri Lanka A 269 all out in 48.5 overs (Sahan Arachchige 74, Niroshan Dickwella 47; Arshad Khan 2-24, Ayush Badoni 2-46) by 8 runs.