Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma slam successive List A fifties
What's the story
India A posted a mammoth 349/9 (49 overs) in a rain-truncated Tri-Nation series encounter against Afghanistan A in Dambulla. While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh gave India A a flying start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and skipper Tilak Varma once again touched the 50-run mark. A 27-ball 40 from Suryansh Shedge finally powered India to the scintillating total. Here are the key stats.
Match details
Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran add 74 runs
India A started their innings with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored a quick-fire 44 off just 22 balls. He hit nine fours in his innings. Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran added a whopping 74 runs for the opening wicket in just over seven overs. However, Sooryavanshi fell to a bouncer outside off stump by Abdollah Ahmadzai. After a brief stint from Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran forged a solid 79-run partnership with Gaikwad. This was Gaikwad's second consecutive 50-plus score in this tournament.
Strategic alliance
Prabhsimran, Gaikwad, Tilak lead India A's charge
Prabhsimran fell to part-timer Imran Mir just short of a well-deserved hundred. But Gaikwad remained strong and added another 78 runs for the fourth wicket with Tilak. Like Gaikwad, the India A skipper also slammed his second successive fifty. Tilak later found an aggressive partner in Suryansh Shedge as they added a quickfire 70 runs. While Tilak departed, Shedge (40) and Anukul Roy (16*) drove India to 349/9.
Gaikwad
Gaikwad extends his incredible run
Gaikwad, who scored a century in India A's opener, slammed an 80-ball 66 against Afghanistan A before falling to Farmanullah Safi. He rotated the strike more often, recording just three boundaries. Playing his 101st List A game, the Indian batter scored his 20th half-century. He also has 21 tons. Gaikwad has raced to 5,227 runs with an incredible average of over 60, the highest in List A cricket. His strike rate is over 100.
Tilak
Another captain's knock
Tilak was relatively quicker, scoring a 73-ball 66 (5 fours) before being dismissed by Abdullah Ahmadzai. The India A skipper, who scored a 97-ball 60 in India A's opener, now has 12 half-centuries in List A cricket. In 49 50-over games, the Indian batter has crossed 1,993 runs at an average of 47. He has a strike rate of around 90. Tilak has also played five ODIs for India, scoring 68 runs at 22.66, including a half-century.