Mir, Shah fifties trump India’s 349 in rain-hit Tri-series clash

Afghanistan A clinched a dramatic four-run victory over India A via the DLS method in a rain-hit Tri-series match at Dambulla. Despite India A posting 349/9 powered by Prabhsimran Singh’s 84, unbeaten fifties from Imran Mir and Bahir Shah sealed the chase

Dambulla: India A’s imposing total of 349 proved insufficient as Afghanistan A sealed a dramatic four-run victory via the DLS method in a rain-marred 50-over match of the ‘A’ Teams Tri-series here on Thursday. The win was engineered by a blistering opening stand and composed half-centuries from skipper Imran Mir and Bahir Shah.

India A, sent in to bat first on a surface expected to aid seamers, made an assertive start through Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed a 22-ball 44. His opening burst set the tone before Prabhsimran Singh maintained the high tempo, top-scoring with a fluent 84.

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Despite Priyansh Arya’s early exit, India A remained well-placed as captain Tilak Varma (66) and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (66) consolidated the innings with a steady 78-run partnership, keeping the Afghan bowlers at bay.

India A accelerated again in the final overs through Suryansh Shedge, whose 27-ball 40 injected urgency into the innings. Handy contributions from Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam pushed the team to 349 for nine in a rain-curtailed 49 overs. Afghanistan A’s Abdullah Ahmadzai was the standout bowler, claiming a five-wicket haul to prevent India A from crossing the 360-mark.

Chasing a revised DLS target of 177 from 25.5 overs after multiple rain interruptions, Afghanistan A began aggressively. Hassan Eisakhil’s 34 and his 63-run opening partnership with Imran Mir ensured the chase began on a bright note. Though Arshad Khan and Anukul Roy removed Eisakhil and Khalid Taniwal in quick succession, India A struggled to apply sustained pressure.

Mir anchored the reply with a composed, unbeaten 75 off 69 balls, while Shah counterattacked with an undefeated 51. Their unbroken 108-run stand for the third wicket kept Afghanistan A ahead of the DLS par score. As the skies opened up again, Afghanistan A reached 177 for two in 25.5 overs before persistent showers forced the abandonment of play, handing Afghanistan A the victory.

Brief scores:
India A 349/9 in 49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Ruturaj Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66; Abdullah Ahmadzai 5/68) lost to Afghanistan A 177/2 in 25.5 overs (Imran Mir 75*, Bahir Shah 51*; Anukul Roy 1/24, Arshad Khan 1/38) by 4 runs (via DLS method).