Emerging Asia Cup 2024: Tilak Varma's India avenge 2023 final loss against defending champions Pakistan with thrilling 7-run win in campaign opener

India A notched a thrilling seven-run victory over Pakistan Shaheens in the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024's campaign opener in Oman on October 19. Pakistan A, chasing a target of 184 runs, fell short, ending their innings at 176/7.

Anshul Kamboj's three-fer in India's thrilling win over Pakistan

Indian bowlers Anshul Kamboj (3/33), Rasikh Salam (2/30), and Nishant Sindhu (2/15)were instrumental in restricting Pakistan A, claiming three, two, and two wickets respectively. Arafat Minhas was Pakistan A's top scorer with 41 runs. With this win India avenged their Emerging Asia Cup 2023's final loss against Pakistan where they suffered a crushing 128-run defeat to miss shot at the their first title.

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With this victory, India A have secured the second position in the group, trailing only behind UAE due to a lower Net Run Rate. They will now face the group leaders, UAE, in a crucial match on Monday, October 21.

Earlier, India A posted a competitive total of 183/8 in their 20 overs. India A, electing to bat first, got off to a flying start as openers Abhishek Sharma (35 off 22) and Prabhsimran Singh (36 off 19)quickly raced past the 60-run mark in the powerplay. However, their momentum was halted after the powerplay, with both openers falling in quick succession. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed by Sufiyan Muqeem, while Prabhsimran Singh followed soon after.

India ride on Tilak, Nehal, Abhishek's fiery batting shows 

Nehal Wadhera (25 off 22) and captain Tilak Varma (44 off 35) then took charge, contributing valuable runs to the team's total. While they managed to score 25 and 44 runs respectively, the scoring rate slowed down significantly. As a result, India A could only manage a total of 183/8 in their 20 overs.

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Sufiyan Muqeem stood out as the top bowler for Pakistan-A, taking two wickets while also being the second-most economical bowler among those who bowled their full quota. His impressive figures of 2 for 28 in 4 overs were complemented by Qasim Akram, who conceded only 20 runs in his 4 overs.

Talking about Pakistan's batting, aside from Yasir Khan, the rest of the Pakistan-A top order struggled to score quickly, leaving the team in a difficult position. However, the momentum shifted in the 14th over when Tilak Varma conceded 19 runs, providing Pakistan-A with a much-needed boost.

Despite late efforts from Mohammad Abdul Samad (25 off 15, Arafat Minhas (41 off 29), and Abbas Afridi (18 off 9), Pakistan-A fell short, finishing at 176 for 7 in their 20 overs, as India-A managed to keep them in check.