India A walked into the Rising Stars Asia Cup semifinal as heavy favourites and with the tournament’s most exciting young batter in Vaibhav Suryavanshi. They walked out stunned. A match that should never have gone to a Super Over slipped away in brutal fashion, with India A failing to score even a single run in the tie-breaker. Bangladesh A advanced to the final as India A were left stunned but the Jitesh Sharma’s decision to not send Suryavanshi in the Super Over proved to be questionable.
The 14-year-old had smashed 38 off 15 earlier in the chase and has been India A’s most destructive batter in the tournament. Yet when the Super Over arrived, India A sent out Jitesh Sharma and Ramandeep Singh. Four balls later, the innings was over for zero. The tactical call immediately came under scrutiny.
Why Vaibhav Suryavanshi sat out? Jitesh explains the decision
Captain Jitesh addressed the criticism head-on after the loss, admitting that the Super Over combination was a conscious tactical decision that backfired. “In the team, Vaibhav and Priyansh are masters of the powerplay, while in the death overs, Ashu and Raman can hit at will. So the Super Over lineup was a team decision, and I made the final call,” he said.
The move left fans baffled because Suryavanshi had been the standout batter of the tournament with 239 runs in four games at a strike rate of 243.88, including his record-breaking 144 against UAE. Even in the semifinal, he gave India A the ideal start with 38 off 15, taking India to 33 for no loss in two overs before falling against the run of play.
The Super Over ended in just two deliveries. Jitesh fell first ball. Ashutosh followed. India A finished with 0 for 2. A wicket on the first ball of Bangladesh’s chase gave a flicker of hope, but a wide on the next delivery ended the contest.
Jitesh takes responsibility of the defeat
Beyond the Super Over call, Jitesh didn’t shy away from owning his own dismissal during the chase. “I will take full responsibility— as a senior, I should have finished the game. It’s about learning, not just winning or losing. You never know, these young players may win a World Cup for India someday,” he said.
India A had control of the chase multiple times but kept slipping. Jitesh himself batted well and made 33 off 23 but was out in untimely fashion. The middle order stalled. The bowlers conceded 61 runs in the last three overs of Bangladesh’s innings. Small errors piled up until the decisive ones arrived at the end.
Bangladesh A now head to the final to face Pakistan A, scheduled to take place in Doha on Sunday, November 23.
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