India A book spot in final with clinical win over Afghanistan A

India A produced a strong batting performance to register a mammoth 101-run win over Afghanistan A in their final league fixture of the tri-series. Asked to bat first, India A posted 319, powered by half-centuries from Priyansh Arya, Tilak Varma and Kumar Kushagra. Afghanistan A played well in spurts but failed to build any momentum, eventually falling well short. The victory has assured India A a spot in the final, with the Afghans now needing to win and overturn a near-impossible net run-rate deficit in their final game against Sri Lanka A.

India A made a few adjustments following a high-stakes match against the hosts that resulted in a Super Over defeat. Arya was promoted to open alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, leaving Prabhsimran Singh out. The pair added 75 runs in just eight overs. Sooryavanshi, who had to contend with non-cricketing issues in the lead-up to the game, made an unusually scratchy 38 off 28 balls.

There were a few breaks in the beginning for the opener. Still on 0, he appeared to have been caught by Faridoon Dawoodzai at backward point in the second over, but the television umpire ruled that the fielder was not in full control of the ball, with part of it appearing to touch the ground. The Afghan camp was left speechless by the decision. Sooryavanshi was dropped by Zahir Khan in the subsequent over while attempting a pull shot off Faridoon. The 15-year-old never seemed completely at ease and eventually gave in to Faridoon, mishandling a short delivery and ballooning a catch to cover. Although he found a few boundaries, the teenager never seemed completely at ease.

At the other end, Arya was fluent from the outset and timed the ball beautifully. He hit eight fours and one six on his way to a half-century of 34 balls. However, he was unable to convert the start into a bigger score, falling for 58 off 42 balls while attempting a cut off Farmanullah Safi. The catch was also subject to some uncertainty, but Afghanistan prevailed this time. After another promising start, India A lost Ruturaj Gaikwad shortly thereafter. He scored 30 runs in 31 balls before becoming Abdullah Ahmadzai's first of two wickets.

In place of Ayush Badoni, Kumar Kushagra made sure there was no middle-order wobble. He joined captain Tilak Varma for a risk-free partnership of 104 runs that stabilized the innings and set up a strong finish. Kushagra struck five boundaries in his 67-ball 58, while Tilak was more measured in compiling 59 off 75 deliveries. With Vipraj Nigam scoring a brisk 30 off of 20 balls, India A also benefited from a useful 41-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Afghanistan A began brightly in the chase, with captain Imran Mir leading the charge through a 27-ball 32. However, they were unable to maintain the momentum and lost three wickets inside the first 10 overs despite keeping the required rate under control.

With a partnership of 87 runs, Faisal Shinozada and Bahir Shah revived the innings and briefly raised hopes for a comeback. But Anukul Roy broke the stand by dismissing Shinozada four runs short of a half-century, holding on to a return catch off his own bowling.

Bahir Shah reached his fifty but could not push on. Nigam had him swiping against the turn, with the resulting top edge comfortably taken by Suryansh Shedge at long-off. That dismissal effectively ended Afghanistan A's hopes as India A tightened their grip on the contest and closed out the game without much trouble.

Afghanistan A were bowled out with 13.1 overs remaining when Nishant Sindhu returned from his early dismissal of Mir to sweep up the tail. He finished with 4 for 31 as Afghanistan A lost the game.