ACC Emerging Asia Cup 2023: Yash Dhull's India A snatched a win from the jaws of defeat against Bangladesh A as the Men in Blue emerged victorious in a humdinger by 51 runs. Defending a target of 211 in the semifinal clash on Friday, India A made a stunning comeback on the back of Nishant Sindhu's fifer and Manav Suthar's three-wicket haul. The Indian A team bowled the opposition out for 160 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. With this, the Men in Blue have set the final clash against Pakistan A.
India A have been unbeaten in the tournament so far but were put to a tough test in the semifinal. They were forced to bat first for the first time in the tournament and were bowled out for 211 in 49.1 overs. Captain Yash Dhull came to save his team with his 66 from 85 balls.
In their defence, Bangladesh A put Dhull's men under immense pressure with their fast-scoring rate but the duo of Manav Suthar and Sindhu produced magical spells to script a collapse. The Men in Blue now play Pakistan A in the final on July 23.
Indian batting register rare failure
It was a rare failure for the Indian batting line-up which has so far been dominant in the entire tournament. The openers Sai Sudharsan and Abhishek Sharma added only 29 runs for the first wicket. The batters got starts but were not able to capitalise much on it. Captain Dhull came out to bat when India were 74/2. He held one end up and the team went down to 137/7. Struggling to score a competitive target, Dhull found partners in No.9 and No.10 batters Manav Suthar and R Hangargekar to take India past 200.
Bowlers make merry of Dhull's efforts
The bowling side complemented Dhull's efforts but was challenged by Bangladesh A. Openers Mohammad Naim and Tanzid Hasan set the tone right in the chase with a 70-run stand. But Manav Suthar and Nishant Sindhu then took the attack to the opposition. Due to their scalps, India A managed to stay in the hunt. The duo shared eight wickets in them and got rid of many set batters to script a wonderful collapse as India A survived a nightmare.
