India A began their tri-series campaign in Dambulla with an eight-run victory over Sri Lanka A on Tuesday. The visitors seemed like heading towards a defeat at one stage, but a strong finish with the ball helped them defend a total of 277 and begin the triangular competition with a win.
Sri Lanka A made a confident start to their chase of 278 through openers Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando. The pair added 93 runs for the first wicket and put India A under pressure early in the innings.
After the opening stand was broken, captain Sahan Arachchige took charge of the chase. The left-hander played a calm and controlled knock, rotating the strike regularly while punishing loose deliveries. His partnership of 78 runs with Sadeera Samarawickrama for the fourth wicket kept Sri Lanka A firmly in the contest.
1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ Runs
1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣ Deliveries
6️⃣ fours and 3️⃣ SixesVice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is adjudged the Player of the Match for his fabulous century 👏🫡
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/nwKDTkg1ZY
(Player image Credits: Sri Lanka Cricket). pic.twitter.com/pwSdE4zp5W
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2026
At 244/6 after 45 overs, Sri Lanka A appeared to be in control and were favourites to reach the target. Arachchige continued to guide the innings and looked set to take his side home. However, the game changed dramatically in the closing stages.
The turning point came in the 48th over when Arachchige was dismissed for 74 off 72 balls, bowled by Anshul Kamboj. His wicket gave India A a much-needed opening and shifted the pressure back onto the hosts. Sri Lanka A suddenly found themselves needing a new batsman to take them home in the chase.
India A seized the opportunity with Arshad Khan producing the decisive spell in the 49th over, taking two crucial wickets and preventing Sri Lanka A from reaching the target. He dismissed V Viyaskanth and Mohamed Shiraz while Wanuja Sahan was run out as Sri Lanka A fell short by eight runs in the end.
Earlier, India A recovered well after a shaky start to post 277/6 in 50 overs. Debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed positive intent from the start, hitting three boundaries in his 14-run knock before being dismissed in the fourth over. His departure contributed to India A slipping to 69/3 after 13 overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma then rebuilt the innings with a 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Gaikwad led the recovery with an excellent century, bringing up his 21st List A hundred before being dismissed for 101. Tilak played a supporting role and scored a patient 60 from 97 deliveries. The left-hander struck only two fours and a six and had 40 singles in his knock as Sri Lanka A dished out a diet of spin through the middle overs.
Late contributions from Ayush Badoni, who made 24 off 18 balls, and Suryansh Shedge, who remained unbeaten on 26 from 14 deliveries, helped India A finish strongly and set Sri Lanka A a target which proved just enough in the end.
India A next face Afghanistan A on Thursday.
Brief Scores: India A 277/6 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 101, Tilak Varma 60) beat Sri Lanka A 269 all out in 48.5 overs (Sahan Arachchige 74, Niroshan Dickwella 47; Arshad Khan 2/24) by eight runs.
