After ending up on the losing side of a nail-biting Super Over contest against Sri Lanka A on Monday, India A produced a commanding response against Afghanistan A in a must-win encounter on Wednesday to book their place in the tri-series final. Needing not only a victory but also to ensure Afghanistan A were restricted to 236 or fewer while chasing 320, India A completed the task emphatically by bowling out their opponents for 218 in just 36.5 overs.
India A's batting effort may not have matched the fireworks displayed by the senior side in Lucknow, but valuable contributions from Tilak Varma, Priyansh Arya and Kumar Kushagra, all of whom struck half-centuries, helped the team post a competitive 319 for 9 on a Dambulla surface that offered significant turn and variable bounce.
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The bowlers then capitalised on those conditions brilliantly. India A's spin attack, spearheaded by Nishant Sindhu's impressive figures of 4 for 31, consistently applied pressure and denied Afghanistan A any chance of mounting a successful chase. The collapse was dramatic, as Afghanistan A slumped from a strong position of 157 for 3 in the 25th over to being dismissed for 218, losing their final seven wickets for just 61 runs with more than 13 overs still remaining.
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