India A Suffer Surprise Defeat as Afghanistan A Seal Dramatic DLS Win

Afghanistan A registered a stunning victory against India A, winning by four runs through the DLS method in a rain-affected tri-series match on Thursday.

India A looked in complete control after posting a huge total of 349/9 in their reduced 49-over innings. Opener Prabhsimran Singh led the charge with a brilliant 84 off 69 balls, while captain Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad both scored 66 runs each.

However, rain interruptions changed the course of the match. Afghanistan A's target was revised to 294 runs in 38 overs under the DLS method.

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The chase got off to a strong start as captain Darwish Rasooli Imran and Hassan Eisakhil attacked from the beginning. Eisakhil scored a quick 34 off 29 balls before departing, while Imran continued to anchor the innings.

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Bahir Shah then joined his captain and played an important knock of 51 from 52 deliveries. The pair guided Afghanistan A to 177/2 in 25.5 overs before another rain interruption brought play to a halt.

When the DLS calculations were applied, Afghanistan A were found to be four runs ahead of the required par score, handing them a memorable victory.

Earlier, India A's innings began aggressively with young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again impressing at the top of the order. The left-hander smashed 44 runs from just 22 balls, hitting nine boundaries and maintaining a strike rate of 200.

Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran added 74 runs for the first wicket in only 7.1 overs, giving India a flying start.

The youngster was eventually dismissed while attempting a ramp shot, edging a short ball from Abdollah Ahmadzai to wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq. Ahmadzai was Afghanistan's standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 5/68.

Despite losing Sooryavanshi, India A continued to score freely. Prabhsimran and Gaikwad added 79 runs for the third wicket, with the latter registering his second consecutive fifty-plus score in the tournament.

Prabhsimran narrowly missed out on a century before falling for 84, but Gaikwad and Tilak Varma kept the momentum going with a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Both batters recorded their second successive half-centuries of the competition.

India briefly lost momentum when Gaikwad and Ayush Badoni were dismissed off consecutive deliveries by Farmanullah Safi, reducing them from 245/3 to 245/5.

Tilak then combined with Suryansh Shedge, who played an attacking knock of 40 from 27 balls. Their 70-run stand for the sixth wicket helped India cross the 300-run mark and finish with a formidable total.

Despite the strong batting effort, India A were left disappointed as rain and Afghanistan A's determined chase combined to produce one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

Brief Scores:

India A: 349/9 in 49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Ruturaj Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 44; Abdollah Ahmadzai , Farmanullah Safi 3/85).

Afghanistan A 177/2 in 25.5 overs (Imran 75 not out, Bashir Shah 51 not out).