The tri-nation series match between Sri Lanka A and India A in Dambulla on Monday witnessed dramatic scenes as the hosts won the match via a Super Over. Sri Lanka A, looking to chase down a target of 266, ended up posting the same total as India A, which was 265.
However, the lights began to fade, and there was discussion about whether to have a Super Over. This led the on-field umpires to hold a lengthy discussion, and the India A players and support staff intervened. It was then decided that a Super Over would, in fact, take place.
However, more drama unfolded during the Super Over. Sri Lanka A posted 16 runs on the board, and India A needed 17 runs to win. Arshad Khan finished the Super Over with a waist-high full toss to Avishka Fernando. It was a dot ball, and the players began to leave to get ready for India’s chase.
Just as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was padding up, the umpires declared Arshad’s last delivery as a no-ball. India A skipper Tilak Varma once again wanted clarification regarding the matter, and this escalated things even further.
After the match, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became a little aggressive, making contact with one of the Lankan players. Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage clapped for Vaibhav and said a few provocative words, prompting the latter to push the former away. In the end, it was Nirishan Dickwella who separated the two.
Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on the incident
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin said that while India A’s frustration was understandable, all Sri Lanka A did was play mind games with the opposition. “These games won’t have as many cameras as we are used to seeing in the IPL. The no-ball call in the Super Over was debatable, and the way Sri Lanka delayed coming in to bat in the Super Over really irked the India A side,” Ashwin said on “X”.
“The frustration shown by the Indian team was understandable, while what Sri Lanka did was play proper mind games. Great theatre #indAvsSlA,” he added.
Vaibhav recently received his maiden senior India call-up after he was named in the India squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) teenager enjoyed an impressive IPL 2026 season, scoring 776 runs from 16 matches to clinch the Orange Cap award.
The defeat leaves India A with just two points from three games and needing to beat Afghanistan A (also with two points) in their last match on Thursday to keep their hopes of qualifying for the final alive. Sri Lanka is on top of the standings with four points from three matches.
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