India A clinical secured the Tri-Nation series title after crushing Sri Lanka A by 66 runs in the final to perfectly avenge their Super Over defeat. The foundation of the win was a colossal total of 377/9, powered by an extraordinary, blisteringly fiery knock from India's very own batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who faced a lot of flak after getting embroiled in a on-field altercation with Sri Lanka A's cricketer. However, Sooryavanshi let the bat talk this time and proved his might. Faced with an imposing chase, the Sri Lankan batting lineup eventually ran out of steam, folding for 311 in reply.
India win Tri-Nation series title after routing Sri Lanka A in final
To have any realistic chance of hunting down such a mammoth, improbable target, the Sri Lanka A hosts desperately needed an explosive start and sustained partnerships. Unfortunately, they achieved neither. Their run chase was derailed almost immediately as the top order collapsed under pressure; Niroshan Dickwella, Avishka Fernando, and Nuwanidu Fernando were all sent packing within the first 10 overs with only 75 runs on the scoreboard.
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Despite the early wreckage, the middle and lower order offered a brief glimpse of resilience through two notable stands. Sadeera Samarawickrama (52) combined with skipper Sahan Arachchige (38) to put together 53 runs for the fourth wicket, while Wanuj Sahan (62) and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (39) later delayed the collapse with a fighting 77-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
However, with the required run rate relentlessly demanding more than eight runs an over from the very beginning, these isolated efforts were nowhere near enough. Ultimately, the partnerships did little more than delay an inevitable defeat, serving only to help Sri Lanka A cross the 300-run threshold before finally running out of steam. Vipraj Nigam (3/60) and Yash Thakur (3/45) were the pick of the bowlers for India A as they combined to take six wickets.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's record-breaking knock sinks Sri Lanka A
The marquee performance belonged entirely to the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, who completely shattered a 21-year-old world record by blasting the fastest half-century in List A cricket history. Shrugging off a lean run of form in the league stages, the left-handed opener from Samastipur, Bihar, reached his fifty in a mind-boggling 11 deliveries, eclipsing Kaushalya Weeraratne’s 12-ball record set back in 2005. His initial scoring sequence read an astonishing 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 0, 6, 4, 4, 6, 6, bringing up the historic milestone with back-to-back straight sixes off pacer Dulaj Samuditha.
Following the explosive start, India A looked primed to cross the 400-run mark before Sri Lanka A’s spinners clawed things back by drying up the boundaries. Skipper Tilak Varma anchor-rolled the middle overs with a composed 67 off 90 balls, putting together a steady 63-run partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad (40). While wickets tumbled regularly during the backend of the innings, a late-order cameo from Anukul Roy (39 off 15 balls) and Vipraj Nigam (27 off 20 balls) provided a crucial final flourish to push India comfortably past 350 and out of Sri Lanka's reach.