India A 265 (Shedge 72, Nigam 51, Viyaskanth 3-26, Shiraz 3-33) tied with Sri Lanka A 265 for 9 (Samarawickrama 93, Badoni 2-45)
Sri Lanka A won the Super Over
A nerveless Super Over from Kugathas Mathulan, the 19-year-old slinger, helped Sri Lanka A pull off a thrilling win over India A in their tri-series fixture in Dambulla, amid fading light and frayed tempers.
Tasked with defending 17, Mathulan nailed three yorkers to deny Suryansh Shedge and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. India A managed just nine runs in their response, thereby losing their second consecutive match. Their upcoming clash against Afghanistan A on Wednesday is now a virtual knockout.
The game went into the Super Over because of a belated call from the umpires due to confusion over the playing conditions. There was a delay of more than 10 minutes between the end of regulation time and the start of the Super Over after Tilak Varma, the India A captain, appealed to the umpires to play the Super Over.
By the time, the players got back onto the field the light had faded significantly. The Super Over was then played in murky light that wouldn't have otherwise passed the normal light meter reading.
Even as Sri Lanka A celebrated the win aggressively, Sooryavanshi and several Sri Lanka A players got into an altercation that needed the umpires to intervene, soon after the last ball was bowled. Eventually both sides shook hands and walked off, but there was considerable anger among players from both sides, including Sooryavanshi who was seen pushing Vishen Halambage.
Niroshan Dickwella and Sahan Arachchige, the Sri Lanka A captain, then separated the pair.
Why the game went into a Super Over
Sri Lanka A went into the final over needing five runs with three wickets standing. After starting with a dot ball, Arshad Khan, the left-arm seamer, nailed a perfect yorker to dismiss the well-set Sadeera Samarawickrama for 93. Singles off the next three deliveries brought the equation down to 2 off 1 with Chamika Gunasekara, the No. 9, on strike.
Arshad bowled a low full toss on the pads, that deflected to keeper Prabhsimran Singh, who relayed the throw to the striker's end to effect a run out to leave the scores tied. Tilak and India A contested the run, stating the batter had offered no stroke, but the umpire eventually signalled a leg bye to force a tie.
India penalised for running on the pitch
In a game of fine margins, India A could've looked back at a number of moments that defined the game. The one that could rankle, though, is the 10 runs they conceded via penalties for repeatedly running on the protected area.
On-field umpires Prageeth Rambukwella and Shantha Fonseka officially imposed the two five-run penalties midway through the 34th and 37th overs respectively. On both occasions, Vipraj Nigam was guilty of running right down the pitch while attempting singles. Nigam had twice been warned previously for similar transgressions, before the penalties kicked in.
This meant Sri Lanka A began their chase with 10 runs already added to their score.
Shedge props up India A
Before all the drama, India A were lifted by a maiden List A half-century by Shedge. The Mumbai allrounder held the lower order together, after legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth orchestrated a middle-order implosion with the wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nishant Sindhu and Anukul Roy.
Each of his scalps came off deliveries that didn't turn. Gaikwad was lbw after being beaten on the inside edge, Sindhu and Roy were caught behind off deliveries that skidded through. But from 143 for 7, Shedge batted sensibly alongside Nigam, the eighth-wicket pair put together 104 to give India A a total to bowl at.
Shedge's 66-ball 72 was the top score of the India A innings, to go alongside scores of 40 and 26 not out in his two previous outings. He was also quite lively with the ball, able to generate movement off the deck and bowl at a sprightly pace. His wicket of Ahan Wickramasinghe left Sri Lanka A reeling at 143 for 5. Surprisingly, he was soon taken off the attack and ended with figures of 3-0-13-1, with Tilak turning to the spinners.
Samarawickrama nearly pulls it off
For a second straight game, Samarawickrama was at the heart of Sri Lanka A's chase. He made a polished unbeaten 60 not out to help overcome Afghanistan A two days ago, but Monday proved a tad more challenging. Like Shedge, he had to combat a middle-order wobble and played himself in to get to a half-century off 74 balls. Along the way, he was dropped on 56 by Shedge in the 30th over when he chipped Nigam straight to extra cover. That lifeline could've cost India A massively as Samarawickrama took the game right to the finish line, before chaos reigned supreme.