IND A vs SL A, Tri-series: Ruturaj Gaikwad stars as India A win thriller against Sri Lanka A

A thrilling encounter comes to an end as India edge Sri Lanka A by 8 runs in Dambulla. Sri Lanka A lost three wickets in the 49th over of Arshad Khan, including a run-out, as the host folded for 269 in a chase of 278. Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando put up a 93-run opening stand to put the pressure back on India. After Ayush Badoni removed both, Sadeera Samarawickrama took charge. While India kept coming back in the middle overs, Sahan Arachchige took control with a 74-run knock. However, with Anshul Kamboj cleaning him up with a yorker in the 48th over, Sri Lanka A quickly ran out of options. 

Sri Lanka lose their 9th wicket as Wanuja Sahan is run out. Arshad Khan attempted to take the catch of Mohd Siraz in his bowling, but failed to get there. Wanuja was almost 3 yards out, and Ruturaj Gaikwad made no mistake. India A need 1 wicket, Sri Lanka A need 9 runs.

India need two wickets and Sri Lanka A need 9 runs, as Arshad Khan traps Viyaskanth LBW. 

A big wicket at a crucial stage. Sahan Arachchige was going well and probably could have won the match for Sri Lanka A. But Anshul Kamboj cleaned him up with a perfect yorker. Arachchige departs for 74 off 72. Sri Lanka A need 16 off 16.

Sri Lanka need 41 off 36 and they have lost Chamika Karunaratne. Karunaratne's struggles come to an end, as he tries to slog a Vipraj Nigam delivery but doesn't get the timing right. And Ayush Badoni takes an easy catch. Sri Lanka A 237/6.

Controversy in Dambulla as Chamika Karunaratne dabs the ball to the off-side and takes off for a quick run. The fielder fires a direct hit at the striker's end while Karunaratne is still stranded outside his crease, but the wicketkeeper accidentally dislodges the bails just before the ball arrives. Despite a heated discussion between the Indian players and the umpire, the decision stands as not out, and the batsmen even manage to sneak an extra run on the overthrow as the ball ricochets away.

Sri Lanka A steadily advanced their total from 198/5 to 219/5 during this five-over block, anchored safely by a disciplined partnership between Sahan Arachchige and Chamika Karunaratne. Anukul Roy started the segment with immense pressure by bowling a brilliant maiden over to Karunaratne in the 38th over, giving the batsmen absolutely nothing to work with. However, Arachchige broke the shackles in the very next over off Ayush Badoni, launching a spectacular slog-sweep over deep mid-wicket for a maximum before following it up with a crisp sweep to the square leg boundary. Arachchige continued his aggressive assault into the 40th over, expertly deploying a reverse sweep off Roy to secure another boundary, ensuring the hosts retained a firm grip on the chase as the final overs approached.

Anukul Roy triggered a crucial middle-over fightback for India A as Sri Lanka A moved from 164/3 to 198/5 by the end of the 36th over. Sahan Arachchige and Sadeera Samarawickrama initially kept the runs flowing, with Arachchige pulling Suryansh Shedge for a boundary in the 32nd over and Samarawickrama taking toll of Roy in the 34th over with a brace of well-timed boundaries. However, Roy exacted perfect revenge on the final ball of that same over, breaking the 78-run stand by inducing a miscue from Samarawickrama, who departed for 46. Ayush Badoni then coupled up with Roy to tighten the screws, stringing together disciplined lines that culminated in Roy striking yet again in the 36th over. He outsmarted Ravindu Fernando with a tossed-up delivery to claim a comfortable return catch, ensuring India A wrestled back a bit of momentum just as the hosts threatened to run away with the chase.

Anukul Roy strikes for the second time. He removes Ravindu Fernando for just a single run to leave Sri Lanka five wickets down. It is an incredibly soft dismissal as the spinner tosses the ball up, prompting Fernando to attempt a whip across the line. Instead of finding the gap, the batsman chips it right back up the pitch, allowing Roy to react quickly and pocket a comfortable return catch.

Anukul Roy puts an end to the dangerous 78-run partnership by dismissing Sadeera Samarawickrama just as the batsman is looking settled. Samarawickrama charges down the track to whip a delivery across the line, but he miscues the shot entirely. The ball travels toward long-on, where Suryansh Shedge settles under it to take a comfortable catch, sending the batsman back for a well-made 46.

Sri Lanka A established total dominance over the chase during this five-over phase, punishing the Indian bowling attack to race from 119/3 to 154/3. Sahan Arachchige provided the initial fireworks in the 25th over by launching Ayush Badoni for a massive six over deep mid-wicket, before targeting Vipraj Nigam in the very next over with a crisp cover drive and a powerful slog sweep for consecutive boundaries. Sadeera Samarawickrama joined the act in the 28th over, back-cutting Nigam past third man for four and sweeping Tilak Varma for three more. India A finally managed to dry up the boundaries in the final two overs of this stretch, using defensive lines from Varma and sharp movement from medium-pacer Suryansh Shedge, but the batting pair comfortably rotated the strike to keep the hosts in complete control.

Sahan Arachchige (25 off 18) is keeping the scoreboard ticking for Sri Lanka A as he steadies the ship for the side in the contest against India A. The hosts are nearing the 150-run mark as India A eye another wicket. 

Vipraj Nigam bamboozles Nuwanidu Fernando as the Sri Lanka A getter gets stumped out. Prabhsimran Singh does a good job behind the stumps. The batter has to walk back after scoring 8 runs off 17 balls. Sri Lanka A are three down now and need 169 runs to win.

India A forced their way back into the contest during this five-over block, converting a dominant opening stand into a double-breakthrough as Sri Lanka A moved from 88/0 to 105/2. The turning point arrived in the 17th over when Ayush Badoni extracted a mistake from Avishka Fernando, who mistimed a sweep straight to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to depart for 45. Anukul Roy kept the pressure mounting from the other end with a tidy, variations-filled spell that offered the batsmen very little leverage. Badoni then struck another massive blow in the 19th over, removing the dangerous Niroshan Dickwella for 47 via a soft dismissal as a mistimed sweep was safely pocketed by Roy at short fine leg. Following the quick wickets, new batsmen Nuwanidu Fernando and Sadeera Samarawickrama opted for complete caution against Vipraj Nigam’s leg-spin in the 20th over, contentedly milking singles to steady the home side's rocked ship.

Ayush Badoni has struck again, and he has dismissed the other set opener. After removing Avishka Fernando, he has removed Niroshan Dickwella for 47. Badoni bowled slow through the air, and as Dickwella tried to sweep, he got a top-edge for an easy catch by Anukul Roy at short fine.

Ayush Badoni provides a breakthrough India desperately needed. He has dismantled the dangerous opening partnership that was threatening to run away with the game. Though Sri Lanka maintains the upper hand, this wicket gives the bowling side a vital foot in the door. Avishka Fernando drops to his knee to execute a powerful sweep shot but picks out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at square leg perfectly. Sooryavanshi stands his ground completely to take a comfortable catch right under the umpire's nose, ending Fernando's impactful innings. Fernando departs for 45. 

India A are in a desperate search for wickets as Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando bring up a 50-run stand. After 10 overs, Sri Lanka A are 66/0.

Sri Lanka A enjoy a steady and unblemished start to their chase, cruising to 29/0 by the conclusion of the fifth over. Openers Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando look comfortable from the get-go, with Dickwella kicking off the first over by clipping Anshul Kamboj to the fine leg boundary. While Arshad Khan exerts some control with a tight second over, the batsmen quickly break the shackles; Fernando dismisses Kamboj through the point region for four in the third over, and Dickwella punishes Khan in the fourth with consecutive boundaries. Kamboj returns to concede seven runs in the fifth over, including a delicate guide to third man for four by Fernando, ensuring the hosts maintain a healthy scoring rate without losing a wicket.

Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando begin the 278 chase for Sri Lanka A. They need a good start if they are to chase the target down.

India A end up with 277/6 with Suryansh Shedge remaining unbeaten on 26 off 14 balls. After the top-order failed, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma added a mammoth 150-run stand to steady the ship. Gaikwad scored 101, while Tilak hit 60. Ayush Badoni and Shedge hit quickfire knocks to help India A post a competitive total.

Ayush Badoni's quickfire knock of 24 off 18 balls ends. He is trapped LBW by Garuka Sanketh.

After two set batters were dismissed in quick succession, Suryansh Shedge and Ayush Badoni took charge in the last few remaining overs. Shedge is striking at nearly 200, while Badoni is striking at 137.

Mohamed Shiraz breaks through for Sri Lanka as he castles Tilak Varma, checking India A's momentum just as the batting side looks to accelerate. Varma shuffles too far across the crease to play a sweep against a full delivery outside off, only to drag an inside edge directly onto his own stumps. While his 97-ball knock provides a solid foundation for the team, the rather sluggish scoring rate leaves something to be desired as he walks back to the pavilion.

Wanuja Sahan breaks the partnership as Ruturaj Gaikwad holes out directly to deep mid-wicket just after completing a brilliant century. Avishka Fernando tracks the ball perfectly near the boundary edge to secure the catch, putting an end to a stellar 114-ball innings. Gaikwad examines the toe of his bat in disappointment while walking off to applause from the dugout, leaving a visibly frustrated Tilak Varma behind on the pitch. Varma appears quite vocal during their brief exchange as Gaikwad exits, perhaps venting about the wicket or sending strategy instructions back to the bench. Though it is a crucial breakthrough for the bowling side, India A still possesses a deep batting lineup capable of clearing the ropes in the death overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad might have missed out on a spot in India's squad for the Afghanistan ODIs, but he has proved the selectors wrong. He gets to his century off 112 balls. He has been the reason why India A are still fighting on after they were reduced to 69/3 in 13 overs. It has been an extremely patient knock with just five fours and three sixes, as he relied on strike rotation with Tilak Varma to keep India A in command. Now, it's time for a late push to take the score close to 300 on this sluggish pitch.

The middle-overs accumulation continues smoothly for India A as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma push the total to 198/3 by the end of the 41st over. Tilak has brought up a fifty, while Gaikwad is closing in on a century. While Wanuja Sahan kept things tight from his end with a couple of cheap three and four-run overs, Gaikwad provided the biggest highlight of the session in the 37th over, launching a clean maximum over long-off against Ravindu Fernando. Garuka Sanketh tries to ruffle the batsmen with a barrage of bouncers in the 39th over, but both Gaikwad and Varma comfortably navigate the short stuff. Ultimately, the duo shows excellent game awareness, eschewing high-risk shots in the final overs of this block to systematically pick up singles and keep the partnership completely unbothered.

Not a smooth sailing by Tilak Varma today. He had to toil hard. But a crucial century stand with Ruturaj Gaikwad followed. Now, he brings up his half-century with a six off 85 balls.

During this five-over stretch, India A steadily builds their innings, progressing from 137/3 to 178/3 as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma build a 100-run partnership. The scoring rhythm picks up in the 32nd over when Vijayakanth Viyaskanth leaks a boundary to Gaikwad, followed by an expensive 11-run over from Chamika Karunaratne that features a blistering punch past mid-on by Gaikwad and active running from Varma. After a brief drinks break at the end of the 33rd over, Wanuja Sahan tightens the screws with a tidy one-run over, but the batsmen quickly adapt to the spin, continuously rotating the strike off Ravindu Fernando to keep the scoreboard ticking smoothly.

After an unfortunate mix-up that saw Priyansh Arya's dismissal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma have rebuilt the innings fantastically. India A were 69/3, and now the two star players have added 100 runs for the fourth wicket. 

Gaikwad is looking well-set for the century, as he has smashed 80* runs off 88 balls. Meanwhile, Tilak, who started extremely slow, is slowly catching up. He is on 39* off 75 balls. With less than 13 overs remaining now, India A would eye anything about 270 with the likes of Badoni, Shedge, and Vipraj still to come. 

100 Runs partnership between Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad 🇮🇳

- Tilak Varma batting on 39* off 73.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad batting on 74* off 86.

Great batting from Captain and Vice Captain - Both batted extremely well on slow surface at Dambulla. pic.twitter.com/sSz3tZMCTT

— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 9, 2026

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been brilliant in 50-over format. In 96 innings, he has 20 hundreds and as many fifties, and today, he has saved India A from early blemishes. India lost Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran quite early, before Priyansh Arya was ajudged run-out. 

60* FROM 94 BALLS - Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad added 50+ runs partnership.

CAPTAIN × VICE CAPTAIN 🇮🇳🔥 pic.twitter.com/bHkTLZjE04

— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 9, 2026

It is the slow phase of the innings as India A complete 100 runs in 22.1 overs. 
Tilak Varma has taken his time to settle in on a slightly slow surface in Dambulla. He has made 10 runs off first 29 balls. 
Gaikwad, meanwhile, 36 off 49, is heading towards a fifty slowly but steadily.

This was a classic case of miscommunication + bad luck. Arya had his fault too.

Ruturaj pushed Ravindu Fernando to deep cover and took off for two. The fielder was jogging, so two was there easily - Ruturaj even completed them.

But Priyansh Arya hesitated. He thought one, then changed his mind and sprinted late. Both ended up at the keeper’s end. When Priyansh tried to ground his bat, Dickwella’s boot literally blocked it.
His bat couldn’t get inside the crease. Dickwella underarmed to the bowler, bails off, and Priyansh was short.

Third umpire ruled Priyansh run out because his bat was obstructed by the keeper’s boot, not because of Ruturaj. Ruturaj was safe. Costly mix-up as India A lose Priyansh, who was batting well on 32. But Arya's fault here. He wasn't even running on the danger end, while Gaikwad was too quick and completed the run by himself. 

Tilak Varma teh new batter in. 

That's one of the most comical run outs you'll see this year 😅 Funny enough they are both desperately trying to get back into the same end and then the keeper steps on Arya's bat and keeps him out of the crease as Rutu runs past him. Deadly! 😷 pic.twitter.com/tDa7yYlSXl

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) June 9, 2026

India A are done with the 50-run milestone as Priyanshr Arya and Gaikwad move forward. However, after the powerplay, we saw off-spinner Ravindu Fernando experience a massive turn off the deck and even beat the southpaw a couple of times. Interesting times ahead as we head into the middle overs. 

IND A: 60/2 (Arya 31*, Gaikwad 11*)

After losing Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran, Sri Lanka A might've thought that they have a tight grip on this encounter. However, both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Priyansh Arya are still there and haven't looked troubled at all. 

Arya has struck a six and two boundaries already, while Gaikwad knows how to pace an innings. After all, the CSK captain averages 58.83 in List-A cricket. 

After 8 overs, India A are 35/2 (Gaikwad 2*, Arya 17*)

Both openers are gone!

Just after Sooryavanshi failed, it is now Prabhsimran Singh, who has also been dismissed. Sri Lanka A know they have an upper hand now, sending back both dangerous openers. 

Karunaratne surprised Prabhsimran with an awkward bouncer. The PBKS batter had no clue and he ends up poking it without any real purpose. It hurried him and Samarawickrama takes a good catch. 

Prabhsimran Singh - 2 off 11 OUT.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is the new batter in, joining Priyansh Arya

Heartbreak for everyone who were hyped for Sooryavanshi

Sri Lanka A are cock-a-hoop, and they surely deserve to be. After all, they have got the big fish of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi within the first four overs. 

Pacer Shiraz bowled full to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Vaibhav tried to belt it straight down the ground for a big hit. But his bat turned in his hands on contact, so instead of power, it flew off the face toward mid-off. Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige read it well, dived forward, and took a brilliant low catch inches from the turf.

Big wicket - Sooryavanshi gone for 14 off 12, just when India needed him to kick on.

🚨 VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI DEPARTS EARLY! 🚨

-A big breakthrough for Sri Lanka A as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi falls for 14 off 12 balls, including 3 fours. pic.twitter.com/ZUNeuiDJmL

— Puneet Awasthi (@PuneetA77622712) June 9, 2026

Anukul Roy and Arshad Khan, who impressed at the IPL 2026 for KKR and GT, are playing their maiden India A game. Both got their debut caps, and they share a surreal moment nonetheless. 

A moment to savour ✨

Congratulations to Anukul Roy and Arshad Khan on receiving their India A debut caps from Captain Tilak Varma and Vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad respectively 👏

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/nwKDTkg1ZY#SLAvINDA pic.twitter.com/6usrRxvNRp

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2026

We are set for action here in Dambulla as Chamika Karunaratne starts with the new ball. For India A, Prabhsimran Singh faces the first ball, while Sooryavanshi watches from the other end. Both teams sang their respective national anthems a few moments ago.

The three captains - Tilak Varma (IND A), Sahan Arachchige (SL A) and Imran Mir (AFG A) - with the tri-nation series trophy. 

Pic Credit: Sri Lanka Cricket

The fact that India A have opted to bat first will excite fans quite much. This is the opening match of the tri-nation series that also features Afghanistan A. 

The news from the centre is that Tilak Varma won the toss and elected to bat first. Sooryavasnhi is set to come out to bat first alongside Prabhsimran Singh. Interestingly, Priyansh Arya is slated to bat at three, which might or might not work for him. 

India’s newest obsession arrives in blue. 🇮🇳 💙

Catch Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action at the #TalentTVCup from 10 AM today, LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV 📺🏏#SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/ttTTCNQwAF

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 9, 2026