The Super Over saga in the Tri-Nation A series between India A and Sri Lanka A continues to go on, and with each passing minute, a new development is coming by. The fourth ODI of the ongoing series, which also involves Afghanistan A, saw tempers flaring with skipper Tilak Varma arguing with the umpires on multiple occasions. At first, the left-handed batter had to really convince the officials to get on with a Super Over, as the on-field umpires Prageeth Rambukwella and Shantha Fonseka were concerned about the bad light.
Eventually, India lost the contest after Suryansh Shedge and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to chase down 17 runs. The aftermath saw Tilak arguing with the umpires, and the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi also jumped in, shoving one Sri Lanka A player after being provoked.
Now, according to a Cricbuzz report, the India A camp was left miffed with the officials after they went back on their word. As part of the previous understanding, the officials didn’t keep their end of the bargain, allowing the play to go on even when the light had deteriorated totally.
According to the report, the umpires had hinted that India’s innings in the Super Over would be stopped if the light worsened further. The pictures on live TV showed the light deteriorating rapidly, but the officials opted to continue the game, and eventually India A failed to chase the total.
Even a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official also agreed that the play shouldn’t have been allowed to go in. “There should never have been a Super Over in the first place,” he told Cricbuzz.
How did the match unfold?
The contest in Dambulla saw India A post 265 runs on the board, thanks to valuable fifties from Vipraj Nigam and Suryansh Shedge. The duo put on 104 runs for the eighth wicket to take India A out of a hole.
Sri Lanka A then began their innings with 10 runs on the board without a single ball being bowled after India A, with two five-run penalties after Vipraj Nigam was found guilty of running on the middle of the pitch.
However, India A bowlers made a match out of it, and the game eventually boiled down to the Super Over, where Sri Lanka A prevailed. The post-match action saw Sri Lanka A players saying a word or two to Sooryavanshi and the youngster answered back by pushing Vishen Halambage.
India A now need to win their last league game to have any chance of reaching the finals.
