India A capitalise on stunning Lankan meltdown to win tri-series opener - Rediff

Ruturaj Gaikwads composed century laid the foundation for India As 277, before Arshad Khans three wickets in the final over triggered a dramatic Sri Lanka A collapse and an eight-run victory.IMAGE: Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma added 150 runs from 185 balls for the fourth wicket to rally India after a few early wickets. Photograph: BCCI/XKey PointsIndia A opened their campaign at the Tri-Nation A series with a hard-fought win over Sri Lanka ARiding on captain Ruturaj Gaikwads century and Arshad Khans last-over heroics, India A won the game by 8 runs in Dambulla.Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had a disappointing debut for India A, scoring just 14 runs.India A will next meet Afghanistan A on June 11.Vaibhav Sooryavanshis 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 in Dambulla 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 As 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 at the same venue on June 11.The game also marked the comeback of Niroshan Dickwella (47 off 45) who shared an opening-wicket stand of 93 with another Sri Lankan international Avishka Fernando (45 off 59). Both the openers could not get their slog sweep right against Badoni to be caught. Sooryavanshi Dismissed CheaplyElecting to bat, India A were pushed to a mini-crisis at 16 for two in five overs after early dismissals of Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh.But vice-captain Gaikwad, who fetched his 21st List A hundred in 112 balls, and skipper Tilak Varma (60, 97b) added 150 runs for the fourth wicket to steady Indias ship.There were persistent strong winds across the ground, and the pitch too offered some assistance to the bowlers, making batting a rather tough proposition.Gaikwad, Varma Rally IndiaBut Gaikwad and Tilak summoned their years of experience in domestic cricket to resist Lankas charge after coming together at 69 for three.The Indian batters were a bit too slow to begin with, collecting their runs mainly through singles and doubles in the initial phase. The lone display of aggression came when Gaikwad hammered spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth for a six over mid-wicket, which also helped him reach his fifty in 66 balls.IMAGE: India A players celebrate the win over Sri Lanka A. Photograph: BCCI/XThereafter he showed a lot more urgency to push the scoring rate ahead. Tilak was more focused on giving strike to his partner. The left-hander reached his fifty in 86 balls just like his partner, lifting slinging pacer Garuka Sanketh for a six over mid-off.Gaikwad brought up his hundred with a single off left-arm spinner Wanuj Sahan, but got out soon to the same bowler while trying to clear the deep mid-wicket fence.Tilak too walked back soon, getting castled while trying to ramp pacer Mohamed Shiraz (2/67).But Ayush Badoni (24, 18b) and Suryansh Shedge (26 not out, 14b) added 46 quick runs as India went past the 270-run mark.There was a lot of focus on Sooryavanshis outing and he seemed in a good touch while cracking three fours. But a moment of impatience curtailed his stay - an attempted bunt over mid-off off Shiraz ended in the hands of a diving Sahan Arachchige.Priyansh Arya made a run-a-ball 32 but a terrible mix-up with Gaikwad resulted in the formers run-out.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; Arshad Khan 2/24, Ayush Badoni 2/46) by eight runs.