Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Table of Contents
India A and Afghanistan A faced each other in the Tri-Series one-day match in Dambulla, but rain had the final say. In a match full of unexpected twists, Afghanistan A crushed India A by four runs through the DLS method on June 11, leaving captain Tilak Varma disappointed and frustrated.
The young Indian skipper felt his team was still in the fight and believed the result could have been different if the rain had not interrupted the match again at a crucial stage.
Rain ruins India A’s party as Afghanistan A seal dramatic DLS win in Dambulla
The India A batters made the most of the surface and helped the team to post a huge total of 349 runs against Afghanistan A, and Tilak Varma believed the score was competitive for those conditions. However, Tilak Varma was recently slammed for his batting.
However, the weather changed everything. Rain forced the match officials to revise the target, and Afghanistan We were asked to chase 298 runs in 38 overs instead of the 350-run target. India A needed early wickets, but Afghan openers gave them a flying start.
Arshad Khan gave the team the first breakthrough by dismissing opener Hassan Eisakhil. Later, Anukul Roy removed Khalid Taniwal for a single-digit score. After that, Afghanistan A captain Imran Mir and Bahir Shah completely dominated with an unbeaten 108-run partnership for the third wicket against India A in Dambulla.
Tilak Varma blamed rain and DLS for India A’s defeat
Unluckily, rain returned once again during the exciting finish. At that moment, Afghanistan A were 177 for 2 in 26 overs and were slightly ahead of the DLS score. Since play could not continue, they were declared winners by four runs via the DLS method.
After the match, India Captain Tilak Varma blamed the rain and DLS for the heartbreaking defeat against Afghanistan A. The captain said in the post-match presentation, “Honestly, we batted well, and 349 was a par score on this pitch. But, unfortunately, with how DLS works, the game was reduced to 39 overs, but we were still in the game. Unfortunately, the rain came down.”
Tilak Varma refuses to blame bowlers, eyes strong comeback
However, Tilak admitted that a few chances in the field did not go India A’s way. However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a blazing knock for India A.
The 23-year-old said, “We got a couple of changes here and there but just short of the fielders. Afghanistan played well, but at the same point we were thinking that the game would go till 38 overs. If it had gone till the 38-over game, things could have been different.”
The captain did not blame his bowlers for the defeat, saying the team would learn from the match, work on the mistakes and come back stronger to win the next two games to make it to the final. India A will next face Sri Lanka A on June 15 at Dambulla.
Tilak added, “I would not say it is a concern, but we will go back to the drawing board and come back stronger in the next game. Our goal is to win the next two games and play the final.”
