• Source:JND

India A vs Afghanistan A: 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to make his mark with the bat once again, putting up another disappointing show in India A's crucial do-or-die clash against Afghanistan A. The two teams squared off in the fifth match of the ongoing tri-series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka.

This final league-stage fixture is a high-stakes encounter for India A. All eyes were on the young prodigy, Sooryavanshi. True to his aggressive style, he provided a fiery start but fell into the same old trap, throwing away his wicket for 38. Though luck was firmly on his side with two dropped chances, the teenager failed to convert them into a substantial innings.

A Fiery but Fragile Start

Earlier in the day, Afghanistan A won the toss and opted to bowl. Looking to bounce back, India A made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Priyansh Arya to open the innings alongside Sooryavanshi. The duo got the team off to a flyer.

However, Afghanistan-A thought they had their breakthrough in just the second over of the innings, only for Sooryavanshi to survive by the skin of his teeth.

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On the second delivery of the over, Shams ur Rahman seemed to have dismissed Sooryavanshi for a duck. Flashing at a wide delivery outside off-stump, the left-hander sliced it towards point. It looked destined for the boundary until Faridoon Dawoodzai made a spectacular diving effort to pluck it out of the air.

Just as Sooryavanshi began his long walk back to the pavilion, the third umpire intervened. TV replays revealed that a part of Dawoodzai's hand was touching the turf while completing the catch, prompting the umpire to rule it not out.

Lightning Strikes Twice

The cricketing gods smiled on Sooryavanshi yet again in the very next over. Attempting a massive heave off Faridoon Dawoodzai, the opener mistimed his shot completely. The ball ballooned toward square leg, offering what should have been a regulation catch.

To India's relief and Afghanistan's horror, the fielder spilt the absolute sitter. At that point, Sooryavanshi was batting on a sluggish 8 off 11 balls.

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Another Opportunity Squandered

Despite being gifted two lifelines and finding a decent rhythm, Sooryavanshi failed to capitalise. He was eventually dismissed for 38 off 28 balls, caught by Khalid Taniwal off the bowling of Faridoon Dawoodzai. This marks his fourth consecutive batting failure for India A in the tournament.

Sooryavanshi's run in the Tri-Nation 'A' series has been highly underwhelming. In his four outings so far, the teenager has failed to cross the fifty-run mark, with a highest score of just 44. He has managed 117 runs across four matches, a tally that includes 19 boundaries and only 3 sixes.


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