DAMBULLA: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first outing for India A in one-day cricket ended with a muted 14 but his team hung in there till the end against a self-destructing Sri Lanka A to pull off an eight-run win in the tri-series opener here on Tuesday.
Chasing 278, Sri Lanka A had the game in the bag after captain Sahan Arachchige made a sublime 74 off 72 balls. However, the inexplicable loss of last four wickets in 10 balls, including three in the final over from pacer Arshad Khan, gave India A a narrow win.
The seasoned Ruturaj Gaikwad made a composed 101 to lead India A to 277 for six. The spin duo of Ayush Badoni (2/46) and Anukul Roy (2/49) kept India in the game after the pacers, especially Anshul Kamboj, leaked runs early in Sri Lanka A’s chase.
Sahan, who has played international cricket, got his team on the cusp of victory before being bowled by a sharp yorker from Kamboj. Too many soft dismissals towards the end of the innings handed the Tilak Verma-led side a sneaky win.
India A will next play Afghanistan A here on June 11. Agencies