Vaibhav Sooryavanshi survives for 0 amid controversial third umpire call, Afghanistan A players walk out in disbelief

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: BCCI) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi found himself at the center of another talking point on Wednesday after India A’s opener narrowly survived a questionable call by the third umpire during the 5th match of the Tri Nation A Series in Sri Lanka against Afghanistan A.The 15-year-old, who has endured a modest streak so far, was given a reprieve when Faridoon Dawoodzai appeared to pull off a stunning one-handed catch at point by Shams Ur Rahman. While the dismissal looked clean in real time, the third umpire ruled that part of the ball touched the ground during the completion of the catch, allowing Sooryavanshi to continue. On replay, the third umpire repeatedly asked for a frame-by-frame replay before concluding that there was evidence that the ball was scraping the turf.“Some part of the ball is touching the ground, I’ve decided,” the referee said before the green light flashed, much to the disbelief of Afghanistan’s players.The decision immediately sparked debate on social media, with fans divided over whether the youngster was lucky to survive.“How come that catch isn’t fair? It was as clean a catch as they come. Sooryavanshi is lucky here,” wrote one user.Another said, “I think it was out but Sooryavanshi gets a life, do it now.”“Really lucky to survive that call. The evidence that the ball was digested was very hazy and unclear,” another fan wrote.However, some pointed out that the third umpire acted on the available evidence and the batsman was given the benefit of the doubt.Ironically, this was not the only bit of luck for Sooryavanshi. Shortly after surviving the controversial catch, the left-hander was again benched and given a second reprieve.The teenager was eventually run out in the 8th over after scoring 38 off 28 balls, including two sixes and four fours. He fouled a Faridoon Dawoodzai delivery and was caught by Khalid Taniwal at cover. Thus ended a promising 75 run opening stand with Priyansh Arya. The latest episode comes just days after Sooryavanshi was involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lanka’s Vishen Halambage during India A’s previous match where the two players had to be separated following a push-and-shove incident. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later urged the players to concentrate on the game and avoid “collateral issues”.Despite the spotlight surrounding him, Sooryavanshi has struggled to make a significant impact with the bat in the series, making his twin runs against Afghanistan A all the more remarkable. On the back of a stellar IPL 2026 campaign and earning his maiden India call-up, the left-handed opener has managed scores of 14, 44 and 21 in the series so far.