Tri-Nation Series: Afghanistan A shock India A despite fifties from Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prabhsimran Singh | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan A pulled off a surprise four-run victory over a strong India A side via the DLS method in a rain-affected tri-series match on Thursday.India A put up a big total of 349/9 in a 49-over innings, but Afghanistan A stayed ahead of the DLS par score when rain forced the match to end early. After several rain interruptions, Afghanistan A were given a revised target of 294 runs in 38 overs.Imran, Bahir Shah lead Afghanistan’s chaseAfghanistan got off to a positive start with captain Imran and Hassan Eisakhil taking the attack to the Indian bowlers. Imran remained unbeaten on 75 off 70 balls, while Hassan made 34 from 29 deliveries.Bahir Shah then joined his captain and scored a composed 51 off 52 balls. The pair added a crucial partnership and took Afghanistan A to 177/2 in 25.5 overs before rain stopped play again.When the DLS calculations were applied, Afghanistan A were four runs ahead of the required par score, handing them a memorable win.India A batters dominateEarlier, India A’s top order produced a strong batting display. Captain Tilak Varma, vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and opener Prabhsimran Singh all scored half-centuries as Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled to slow the scoring rate.Teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again impressed with an aggressive innings. The left-hander smashed 44 off just 22 balls, hitting nine boundaries and scoring at a strike rate of 200.Vaibhav and Prabhsimran added 74 runs for the opening wicket in only 7.1 overs to give India a flying start.Prabhsimran, Gaikwad and Tilak keep India on trackVaibhav’s innings ended when he tried a ramp shot against Abdollah Ahmadzai and edged the ball to wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq. Ahmadzai was Afghanistan’s best bowler, finishing with figures of 5/68.Prabhsimran continued the momentum and made 84 off 69 balls. He added 79 runs with Gaikwad for the third wicket before falling just short of a century.Gaikwad then shared a 78-run partnership with Tilak Varma as both batters registered their second successive fifty-plus scores in the tournament.Late flourish takes India beyond 300India suffered a brief setback when Gaikwad and Ayush Badoni were dismissed off consecutive deliveries by Farmanullah Safi, reducing them from 245/3 to 245/5.However, Tilak found support from Suryansh Shedge, who played a quick knock of 40 off 27 balls. The duo stitched 70 runs for the sixth wicket, helping India cross the 300-run mark.India will next face Sri Lanka A on June 15 in Dambulla.Captains react Named Player of the Match, Afghanistan A captain Imran credited the team’s belief and positive approach.“It was our first match, and we played natural cricket. Believed in myself and the team for the run chase,” he said.India A captain Tilak Varma admitted that the rain-affected conditions and DLS calculations ultimately worked against his side.“We batted well. But unfortunately, the way DLS works… Afghanistan A batted well but at the same time we thought chasing 294 in 38 overs was going to be tough. Bowling isn’t a concern, but we’ll go back to the drawing board. Our goal is to win the next couple of games and make the final,” Tilak said.