India A thrash Afghanistan A by 101 to storm into the final of the Tri-Nation A Series

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: India A booked their place in the final of the Tri-Nation A Series with a commanding victory over Afghanistan A in Dambulla on Wednesday, with a complete all-round performance led by half-centuries from Priyansh Arya, Tilak Varma and Kumar Kushagra followed by a four-wicket haul from Nishant Sindhu.After posting an impressive 319/9 in 50 overs, India A bundled out Afghanistan A for 218 in 36.5 overs to enter the final, aided by an excellent net rate of +0.797. India A will now face either Sri Lanka A or Afghanistan A in the final in Dambulla on June 21. Asked to bat first, India A got off to a flying start through openers Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who added 75 runs in just 48 balls for the opening wicket.Sooryavanshi survived an early scare when the third umpire did not rule out a stunning catch at point and the youngster made the most of the reprieve by scoring 38 off 28 balls with four fours and two sixes before Faridoon Dawoodzai ended his stay for good.Arya continued the attack and brought up a fluent half-century. The left-hander hit nine fours and a six in his 42-ball 58, laying a strong platform for the middle order.Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with 30 before India A captain Tilak Varma and wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Kushagra took control of the innings.The duo stitched together a decisive 104-run stand for the fourth wicket. Varma anchored the innings with a composed 59 off 75 deliveries, while Kushagra impressed in his first appearance in the series, scoring a well-crafted 58 off 67 balls.After both batsmen departed, Vipraj Nigam provided a late flourish with a brisk 30 off just 20 balls, while Nishant Sindhu remained unbeaten on 21 as India A crossed the 300-run mark.Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Farmanullah Safi scored two goals each for Afghanistan A.Chasing 320, Afghanistan A never quite recovered after losing wickets at regular intervals.Yash Thakur struck early by dismissing Hassan Eisakhil while Anshul Kamboj produced a brilliant breakthrough as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completed a stunning second try to remove Khalid Taniwal.Captain Imran Mir fought back with 32 but Nishant Sindhu trapped him with the help of a well-judged catch from Suryansh Shedge.Afghanistan A’s only meaningful resistance came through Faisal Shinozada and Bahir Shah. The pair added 87 runs for the fourth wicket and briefly threatened to keep the chase alive.Bahir led the counter-attack with an impressive 57 off 52 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six, while Faisal was heartbreakingly short of a half-century after scoring 46.The turning point came when Anukul Roy dismissed Faisal and Vipraj Nigam removed Bahir shortly after. Once the partnership was broken, Afghanistan A’s lower order offered little resistance.Sindhu then ran through the tail and dismissed Shams Ur Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Zahir Khan to finish with excellent figures of 4 for 31 from 6.5 overs.Yash Thakur claimed two wickets while Kamboj, Roy, Nigam and Shedge chipped in with one each.Afghanistan A were eventually bowled out for 218, giving India A a comprehensive 101-run victory.