India A 377 for 9 (Sooryavanshi 94, Tilak 67, Gaikwad 40, Sahan 2-39) beat Sri Lanka A 311 (Sahan 62, Samarawickrama 52, Thakur 3-45, Nigam 3-60) by 66 runs

Roy smashed 39 off just 15 balls, courtesy four sixes, to give the India A innings a late lift after they had slumped to 334 for 8, and were in danger of being bowled out with a few overs to spare. As it turned out, that wasn’t Roy’s only contribution. He also picked up two vital wickets with his left-arm spin, including that of the set Vijaykanth Viyaskanth to break a 77-run seventh-wicket partnership that kept Sri Lanka A’s hopes alive.

The performance that would be long remembered, though, was Sooryavanshi’s. Before raising his half-century off just 11 deliveries, each of his first five balls was sent to the boundary. Sooryavanshi kept going hard, and had the fastest List A century in sights until he fell to Sahan Arachchige, the offspinner and Sri Lanka A captain, in the ninth over. By then, India A had raced to 132 in just 8.5 overs.

Sooryavanshi smashed an incredible ten fours and eight sixes in his innings, before falling while attempting to hit a ninth six, out caught at mid-off after failing to get the elevation. It was the second time in two games that he was dismissed by Arachchige. In the Super Over fixture against Sri Lanka A, Sooryavanshi had sliced a tossed-up delivery to point as he lost shape. On Sunday, he backed away to clear the infield, buy only managed to find Viyaskanth at mid-off.

Sooryavanshi’s hitting, especially over extra cover on the up – it was reminiscent of the shot he hit off the very first delivery he faced in the IPL last year – was mighty impressive. As was his ability to play on the minds of the bowlers by getting inside the line of short deliveries to pull or help them over the leg-side boundary. The one shot that exhibited Sooryavanshi’s range, and presence of mind, was the ramp over the wicketkeeper off a delivery from Kugathas Mathulan, whose lengths he had struggled to get underneath in a gun Super Over the last time they met.

Here, having seemingly been beaten for pace, Sooryavanshi still managed to lay a neat little deflection. although he had arched back, and was nearly squatting in an effort to initially bail out of the stroke. One ball prior to that, Sooryavanshi had a small crowd guffawing at his ability to scythe a wide yorker over backward point for six.

Tilak scored 67 but ended up consuming 90 balls. After his dismissal, India A lost three quick wickets and were in danger of being bowled out for under 350. However, Roy’s late fireworks and an entertaining cameo of 27 from Nigam, who had struck his maiden List A fifty in the previous game against the hosts, gave India A a much higher total to defend.

Thakur aside, India A debutant Ashok Sharma was mighty impressive with his speeds, even though he got taken apart for runs in his first spell. While speed guns were absent, Ashok repeatedly hustled batters with his pace and late movement. He also dismissed Sadeera Samarawickrama, one of Sri Lanka A’s most accomplished batters, for a 44-ball 52 just when he was beginning to shift gears. From there on, Sri Lanka A kept losing wickets until a late flourish from Sahan kept them alive, only for those hopes to be dashed by India A’s spinners.