Dambulla, June 11 (IANS) India A’s imposing 349 proved to be insufficient as Afghanistan A sealed a dramatic four-run victory via DLS method in a rain-hit 50-over match in the ‘A’ Teams Tri-series on Thursday, thanks to a blistering opening stand and composed knocks from skipper Imran Mir and Bahir Shah.

India A, sent in to bat first on a surface expected to aid seamers, made an assertive start through Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 44 off 22 balls. His opening burst set the tone before Prabhsimran Singh kept the tempo high with a fluent effort at the top to top-score with 84.

Despite Priyansh Arya’s early exit, India remained well placed as captain Tilak Varma (66) and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (66) consolidated with a steady 78-run stand, while keeping the Afghanistan bowlers at bay.

India accelerated again in the final overs through Suryansh Shedge, whose 40 off 27 balls injected urgency into the innings. Handy contributions from Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam pushed India to 349/9 in a revised 49 overs. Afghanistan A’s Abdullah Ahmadzai was the standout bowler, claiming five wickets and stopping India A from crossing 360.

Chasing a revised target of 294 from 38 overs after multiple rain interruptions, Afghanistan began aggressively. Hassan Eisakhil’s 34 and his 63-run opening stand with Imran Mir ensured the chase began on a bright note. Though Arshad Khan and Anukul Roy removed Eisakhil and Khalid Taniwal, India A struggled to apply sustained pressure.

Mir anchored the reply with a composed 75 not out off 69 balls, while Shah counterattacked to hit 51 not out. Their 108-run century stand for the third wicket pushed Afghanistan A ahead of the DLS par score. With rain returning, Afghanistan A reached 173 for two in 25.5 overs, and persistent showers forced the abandonment, handing Afghanistan A victory under the DLS method.

Brief scores:

India A 349/9 in 49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Ruturaj Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66; Abdullah Ahmadzai 5-68) lost to Afghanistan A 177/2 in 25.5 overs (Imran Mir 75 not out, Bahir Shah 51 not out; Anukul Roy 1-24, Arshad Khan 1-38) by four runs (via DLS method).

–IANS

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