In the must-win game of the tri-series on Sri Lankan soil, India A opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could not make the most of the early reprieves and departed after a cameo on June 17. Once again, Sooryavanshi lost his wicket to a short ball. The maiden fifty for India A continued to elude him as he fell for a 28-ball 38 in Dambulla.
Nervy start to Sooryavanshi’s innings
The first reprieve came in the second over when Sooryavanshi had not got off the mark. Faridoon Dawoodzai took a blinder at point off Shams Ur Rahman's bowling but as he fell on the ground, the ball appeared to be touching the ground whilst in his hand. The third umpire ruled in the batter's favour. The teen sensation scored his first run off the seventh ball he faced.
In the next over, Sooryavanshi hit his first boundary but a few balls later, his catch was dropped at square leg. Dawoodzai forced a top-edge off his bat but the fielder could not hand on to the catch.
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After a slow start, Sooryavanshi hit Abdullah Ahmadzai for a four and two sixes. Ahmadzai had dismissed him with a short ball in the previous game. Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya's partnership crossed 50 in the sixth over.
Dawoodzai gets revenge with short one
In the eighth over, he looked to attack Dawoodzai. He hit a four and a six. A mistimed shot of a slower ball landed short of the sweeper cover fielder. But, on the last ball of the over, Dawoodzai pitched it short. Sooryavanshi went for the pull shot, trying to hit it towards square leg boundary but miscued the shot. He was caught at cover point by Khalid Taniwal. The 15-year-old opener departed for a 28-ball 38, featuring four fours and two sixes. He shared a 75-run partnership for the opening wicket with Arya from eight overs.
When will Sooryavanshi play next?
Sooryavanshi has scored 117 runs from four innings in the tri-series. If India A manage to beat Afghanistan A, Sooryavanshi will feature in the final on June 21. Otherwise, his next appearance is expected to be on the Ireland tour. He got his maiden T20I call-up on the back of stellar performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.