Ramandeep Singh’s valiant half-century went in vain as Afghanistan A put up a clinical display to defeat India A by 20 runs and set up a summit clash against Sri Lanka A in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 tournament in Oman on Friday.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan A capitalized on a commanding 137-run opening partnership between Sediqullah Atal (83 off 52 balls) and Zubaid Akbari (64 off 41 balls) to post the tournament’s highest total, reaching 206/4.
In response, India A struggled, losing half their lineup by the 13th over before Ramandeep launched a spirited fightback with Nishant Sindhu, building an exhilarating 68-run stand in just 31 balls.
With India needing 53 runs from the last three overs, the momentum swung as Nishant (23 off 13 balls) was run out following a miscommunication.
Tasked with defending 30 runs in the final over, Abdul Rahman (2/32) held his nerve, dismissing Ramandeep on the last delivery and restricting India to 186/7, sealing Afghanistan’s place in the summit clash.
