In a rain-affected tri-series match held in Dambulla on Thursday, India A's impressive score of 349 was not enough as Afghanistan A achieved a remarkable DLS victory. The Afghan team was propelled by a dynamic opening partnership and significant contributions from captain Imran Mir and Bahir Shah.

Batting first after being put in, India A started explosively with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 44 runs off just 22 balls, establishing a solid foundation after Afghanistan chose to field. Prabhsimran Singh continued the momentum with an aggressive innings, narrowly missing a century, which kept India A in a strong position despite the early loss of Priyansh Arya.

The innings was stabilized by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma, who added 78 runs in a steady partnership characterized by cautious play, hitting only eight boundaries between them. Gaikwad, coming off a century in the previous match, scored a smooth 66 off 80 balls, while captain Tilak also contributed 66 runs off 73 deliveries.

In the final overs, India A accelerated their scoring with Suryansh Shedge's brisk 40 runs off 27 balls. Additional contributions from Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam helped India surpass the 300-run mark, finishing with a total of 349 for 9 in their revised 49 overs. Abdullah Ahmadzai from Afghanistan A was the standout bowler, taking five wickets and making crucial breakthroughs during the death overs.

Chasing a revised target of 294 runs in 38 overs due to rain interruptions, Afghanistan A started their innings with aggression. Hassan Eisakhil scored 34 runs, forming a rapid 63-run opening partnership with captain Imran Mir, as they maintained a brisk pace of nearly eight runs per over during the Powerplay. Despite Arshad Khan and Anukul Roy taking wickets to dismiss Eisakhil and Khalid Taniwal, India A struggled to maintain pressure in the middle overs.

Imran Mir played a pivotal role in anchoring the innings with a composed 75 runs off 69 balls, while Bahir Shah countered effectively, reaching his half-century. Together, they formed a significant partnership for the third wicket, pushing Afghanistan A ahead of the DLS par score. As dark clouds loomed, Afghanistan reached 173 for 2 in 25.5 overs when heavy rain halted play. At that moment, they were three runs ahead of the DLS target, leading to their victory by the DLS method.