India A side thrashed Pakistan A by eight wickets in their last group stage match of the ACC Emerging Asia Cup 2023 match in Colombo on Wednesday, July 19. Young pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar took five wickets to bowl out Pakistan on just 205 runs and then in-form Sai Sudharsan slammed an unbeaten century to continue India's dominance over Pakistan in world cricket.
Mohammad Haris won the toss and elected to bat first at R Premadasa Stadium but Indian bowlers were quick to make the Pakistan captain regret his decision. Hangargekar dismissed Saim Ayub in the fourth over on a duck and also picked Omair Yousuf's wicket in his next over to give India a flying start.
After losing the first two wickets cheaply, opener Sahibzada Farhan and Haseebullah Khan added stability to keep Pakistan on track for a respectable total. But left-arm spinner Manav Suthar shone with three wickets to dismantle Pakistan's middle order completely.
Qasim Akram and Mubasir Khan added 53 runs for the seventh wicket but Hangargekar struck again with three more wickets. He took five for 42 while Manav bagged three for 36 for the India A team. For Pakistan, Qasim Akram was the leading run-getter with an admirable knock of 48 off 63.
While chasing a target, Abhishek Sharma and Sai Sudharsan gave India a promising start to ensure an easy win. The duo added 58 runs for the first wicket with Abhishek scoring 20 off 28. Mubasir Khan bowled out the young opener in the 12th over but Sai produced a match-defining 99-run stand with Nikin Jose for the second wicket.
Jose scored 53 off 64 before getting out in the 31st over but Sai remained alive and added another 50-plus partnership with skipper Yash Dhull. Sai slammed fifty against Nepal in the previous game and continue to show his skills on the world stage with a maiden hundred in the tournament.
Sai completed his century with back-to-back sixes off pacer Shahnawaz Dahani in the 37th over which also boosted India to a dominant eight-wicket win with 80 balls remaining.
