Indian Team Dominates Afghanistan-A by 101 Runs in Tri-Series Match

June 17, 2026

Dambulla, June 17: India-A secured a commanding victory over Afghanistan-A by 101 runs in the fifth match of the Tri-Series held at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Wednesday. This win propelled the Indian team to the top of the points table.

India has won 2 out of 4 matches, boasting a net run rate of +0.797. Sri Lanka, with 2 wins from 3 matches and a net run rate of +0.494, occupies the second position. Afghanistan, having lost 2 out of 3 matches, sits at third place with a net run rate of -1.983.

Batting first after losing the toss, India posted a total of 319 runs, losing 9 wickets in the process. The opening pair of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya provided a strong start, amassing 75 runs in just 48 balls.

Vaibhav scored 38 runs off 28 balls, hitting 2 sixes and 4 fours. Following his dismissal, Priyansh partnered with Ruturaj Gaikwad to add 40 runs for the second wicket in 41 balls. Priyansh returned to the pavilion after scoring 58 runs off 42 balls, which included 10 boundaries. Shortly after, the team lost Gaikwad, who made 30 runs.

By the time India reached a score of 129, they had already lost 3 wickets. Captain Tilak Varma then forged a crucial partnership with Kumar Kushagra, adding 104 runs for the fourth wicket, taking the team past the double-century mark.

Tilak contributed 59 runs, while Kushagra scored 58 runs. Additionally, Vipraj Nigam made 30 runs, and Nishant Sandhu remained unbeaten with 21 runs. For Afghanistan, Faridun Daudzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai, and Farmanullah Safi each took 2 wickets, while Zaheer Khan claimed 1 wicket.

In response, the Afghan team was bowled out for just 218 runs in 36.5 overs. Captain Imran Mir scored 32 runs, forming small partnerships to help the team reach 70/3 in 9.4 overs. Bahir Shah then partnered with Faizal Shinwzada to add 87 runs for the fourth wicket, bringing the score to 157.

Faizal made 46 runs off 56 balls with 3 boundaries, while Bahir Shah scored 57 runs with 5 boundaries. Mohammad Ishaq and Farmanullah Safi contributed 16 and 17 runs, respectively, but could not reduce the margin of defeat.

For India, Nishant Sandhu was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets for 31 runs in 6.5 overs, while Yash Thakur claimed 2 wickets. Anshul Kamboj, Vipraj Nigam, Suryansh Shedge, and Anukul Roy each took 1 wicket.