India A have qualified for the tri-series final after defeating Afghanistan A in Dambulla. The Tilak Varma-led team had started the event with a comfortable victory over Sri Lanka A on June 9 but lost the next two. All three were tight games that could’ve gone either way.
India A qualify for tri-series final
However, that controversy-ridden defeat to Sri Lanka A on June 15 left India A in trouble. To reach the trophy match, the Indian team needed to beat Afghanistan A. After a solid overall performance, with half-centuries by Tilak and Kumar Kushagra and a 4-fer by Nishant Sindhu, India A awaits Afghanistan A or Sri Lanka A on June 21 in Dambulla.
Afghanistan A followed the same template. They decided to chase. In the previous rain-curtailed game, the Afghans had won by just 4 runs. Their batting worked well against a weakened India A bowling unit, and Imran Mir wanted to replicate that. In the previous match, India A posted 349, and today they managed 319.
However, the surface wasn’t exactly the same. There wasn’t any rain threat either. Defending 320 wasn’t going to be that big a challenge. That proved right. Yash Thakur and Anshul Kamboj struck early, and Nishant joined the party in the last over of the powerplay.
From there on, Afghanistan A kept on losing wickets and were all out for 218 in 36.5 overs. India A’s net run rate was already great due to three close games. With a 101-run victory, it improved even further and meant that Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A will have to fight for the second final qualification spot. They’ll face off on June 19.
Last chance for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
If Sri Lanka A manages to win, the final will be charged up. One can’t forget that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had gotten into a fight with Sri Lankan players just two days ago. They’ll be at the receiving end of sledging once again. Moreover, the 15-year-old hasn’t got going in the tri-series.
Sooryavanshi’s gotten starts in every game – 14, 44, 21 and 38 – but failed to kick on. Now, it’s his last chance for redemption before he flies with Team India to Ireland for the white-ball tours of Ireland and England. He’s being criticised for his conduct, and the best way to silence the naysayers is with the bat.
Talent TV Cup ODI Tri-Series 2026: Points Table
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India A (Q) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +0.797 |
| 2 | Sri Lanka A | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0.494 |
| 3 | Afghanistan A | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1.983 |
