Dambulla, Jun 11 : Skipper Tilak Varma, vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and opener Prabhsimran Singh made well-timed fifties as India A scored a massive 349 for nine against Afghanistan A in a tri-series one-day match here on Thursday.
After electing to bat, India were served well by Prabhsimran (84, 69b), Gaikwad (66, 80b) and Tilak (66, 73b) as Afghanistan bowlers struggled to contain the opposition batters at any stage of the innings, which was curtailed to 49 overs because of passing showers.
India’s run started with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, hammering a 22-ball 44 that contained nine fours.
The young left-hander maintained a strike-rate of 200 without even hitting a six, revealing that he is equally adept in finding gaps in the field for boundaries.
Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran added 74 runs for the opening wicket in just 7.1 overs, putting India on course for a big total.
Sooryavanshi yet again fell to a bouncer outside the off-stump, this time edging Abdollah Ahmadzai, the most successful Afghan bowler on the day with a five-wicket haul (5/68), to stumper Mohmmad Ishaq while trying a ramp.
But India seldom let go that early momentum. After the short stay of Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran added 79 runs for the third wicket with Gaikwad, who brought up his second successive fifty-plus score of this tournament.
Prabhsimran fell to part-timer Imran Mir close to a deserving hundred, but Gaikwad stayed strong to milk 78 runs for the fourth wicket with Tilak, who also made his second fifty in a row.
But Gaikwad and Ayush Badoni fell in consecutive balls to Farmanullah Safi (3/85) as India momentarily slipped to 245 for five from 245 for three in the 38th over.
But Tilak found an able ally in the aggressive Suryansh Shedge (40, 27b), as the pair added 70 runs for the sixth wicket from just seven overs as India eased past the 300-run mark.
Brief scores: India A: 349/9 in 49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Ruturaj Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 44; Abdollah Ahmadzai , Farmanullah Safi 3/85) vs Afghanistan A.
