Drama in Dambulla! India A were out of the game. Sri Lanka A had complete control of the situation. Just 5 runs were needed, and well-set Sadeera Samarawickrama, on 93, was on the crease. Arshad Khan, who had performed a miracle in the tri-series, somehow managed to restrict Sri Lanka A once again.
India A vs Sri Lanka A match goes to Super Over
He bowled Samarawickrama with an inch-perfect yorker and all of a sudden, the game flipped on its head. Despite nailing yorker after yorker, Sri Lanka A still managed to score 4 runs in the last over to tie the game. However, the Super Over wasn’t to happen. The on-field umpires informed India A captain Tilak Varma that the light wasn’t sufficient for the game to go ahead.
Since there weren’t any floodlights in Dambulla, the game couldn’t have proceeded. But Tilak wasn’t having any of it. He fought with the umpires, but they declined him. However, all of a sudden, it was decided the Super Over would happen after the Sri Lanka A camp agreed to it.
Tilak Varma loses his cool at umpire
However, the controversy didn’t end there. The Super Over went ahead on the final ball of the 6th ball; Sri Lanka A batter Avishka Fernando was adjudged out by the on-field umpire. However, the third umpire reversed the decision after finding the full toss to be over the waistline and adjudged it a no-ball.
The batters and fielders had gone back to the pavillion but were called back. Tilak fumed at the umpires once again. He and the Indian coaching staff were having none of it. At one point, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had to even push Tilak away from the umpire.
After that, Tilak argued over whether the match should go ahead, with the light worsening. However, it should be noted that Tilak was also the one who urged the umpires and Sri Lanka A to proceed with the match and for India A to have a chance at victory. As a result, the game continued with Suryansh Shedge and Sooryavanshi coming out to bat.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi charges at Sri Lanka A player
India A couldn’t get across the line, falling 7 runs short in the Super Over as Kugathas Mathulan ended up giving away just 10 runs. After the game concluded, the Sri Lanka A fielders shook hands with Shedge and Sooryavanshi. During this exchange, someone chirped at the teenager, prompting him to charge at them. He even pushed the player, and he retorted similarly.
Other Sri Lanka A players came between the player and Sooryavanshi. Whatever transpired in the last few moments of the match wasn’t a great reflection on India A. The captain, opener and even coaches constantly argued with the umpires and were almost ready to fight.
Cricket
Exclusive: Prabhsimran Singh reveals insights behind Arshdeep Singh-Tilak Varma incident of IPL 2026
