With its back against the wall, India-A all but progressed through into the Tri-Nation series final with a commanding 101-run victory over Afghanistan-A at the Rangiri International Stadium on Wednesday, riding on a composed half-century from Kumar Kushagra and a clinical performance by the bowlers.

Asked to bat, India-A recovered from a mid-innings wobble to post 319 for 9. Half-centuries from Priyansh Arya, skipper Tilak Varma (59, 75b, 5×4) and Kushagra (58, 67b, 5×4) formed the backbone of the innings, with the 104-run fourth-wicket stand between Tilak and Kushagra proving the difference.

India-A’s changes paid off immediately. Priyansh, brought in for Prabhsimran Singh, continued his impressive run at the top, while Kushagra justified his inclusion in place of Ayush Badoni.

Ruturaj Gaikwad looked fluent before being caught behind off Abdullah Ahmadzai, a decision he appeared unhappy with, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again failed to convert a promising start despite surviving a couple of chances.

With wickets falling and Afghanistan-A sensing an opening, Kushagra stepped up. Calm and assured, he rebuilt the innings alongside Tilak, who played the ideal supporting role. While Kushagra found timely boundaries, Tilak kept the scoreboard ticking with smart strike rotation as the pair wrestled back control of the contest.

Vipraj Nigam then added the finishing touches with a brisk 30 off 20 balls to push India-A beyond the 300-run mark.

Afghanistan-A began the chase with intent. Hassan Eisakhil took on Anshul Kamboj and Yash Thakur, striking a couple of boundaries and a six before mistiming a pull to Gaikwad at short mid-wicket.

Khalid Taniwal and Imran Mir got starts but failed to kick on, though Afghanistan-A stayed in the hunt through an 87-run fourth-wicket stand between Bahir Shah and Faisal Shinozada. The partnership briefly raised hopes of a fightback before India-A regained control.

AS IT HAPPENED: IND A VS AFG A Highlights

Anukul Roy tightened the screws through the middle overs, while Vipraj struck at crucial moments. The key breakthrough came when Bahir fell soon after reaching a fighting half-century. From there, things went haywire.

Left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu cleaned up the tail with four wickets as Afghanistan-A lost wickets in clusters and was eventually bowled out for 218.

For India-A, though, the defining contribution came from Kushagra. It was not a flashy innings, but in the context of the match and the stakes involved, it was exactly what his team needed.

With the emphatic victory, India-A climbed to the top of the points table, overtaking both Sri Lanka-A and Afghanistan-A on net run rate to seal its place in the final.

Published on Jun 17, 2026