India A Playing XI: Prabhasmaran Singh (W), Vibhu Suryavanshi, Rituraj Gaekwad, Tilak Verma (C), Ayush Baduni, Suryanesh Shedge, Nishant Sindhu, Anukul Roy, Arshad Khan, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur.
Sri Lanka A Playing XI: Nirushan Dickwella (W), Avishka Fernando, Vishan Hlambaghe, Sudira Samara Wickrama, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sahan Arachige (C), Vinuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Vyaskanth, Kagathis Matulan, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammad Shiraz
India A will aim to get back to winning ways when they face Sri Lanka A on Sunday in a crucial tri-series clash, with all three teams tied after two rounds. India started their campaign with an eight-run victory over Sri Lanka but suffered a shock four-run defeat by Afghanistan A via DLS method in a rain-affected contest. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka made a strong comeback by defeating Afghanistan to keep the race for the final open.
Despite the setback, India A’s batting was brilliant. Prabhasmaran Singh led the charge with 84 runs against Afghanistan, while captain Tilak Verma and vice-captain Rutoraj Gaekwad scored second consecutive half-centuries. Teenage sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi once again impressed with 44 off 22 balls, adding 74 runs with Prabhasmaran for the opening wicket.
Off the field, Vaibhav’s childhood coach Manish Ojha revealed the secret behind the youngster’s blazing speed. According to him, Suryavanshi trained for around eight hours a day and faced more than 600 deliveries regularly, developing the muscle memory behind his explosive batting. Ojha also highlighted the sacrifices of the batsman’s parents, especially his mother Aarti, who used to get up at 2am to prepare meals for the players and support staff. With qualification still hanging in the balance, Sunday’s clash promises to be high stakes.
