Imran Mir, Bahir Shah power Afghanistan A to stunning DLS win

India A's 349 wasn't enough as Afghanistan A pulled off a stunning DLS win in a rain-affected tri-series clash in Dambulla, riding on a blazing opening stand and authoritative knocks from captain Imran Mir and Bahir Shah.

Asked to bat first on a surface expected to assist seamers early on, India A shrugged off the conditions through an aggressive start from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The youngster hammered 44 off just 22 balls, setting the tone after Afghanistan chose to field. Prabhsimran Singh then kept the scoreboard moving at a brisk pace before falling short of a century, leaving India strongly placed despite Priyansh Arya's early departure.

The innings was then anchored by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma. The pair added 78 runs through largely risk-free cricket, hitting only eight fours between them and ensuring India never lost momentum. Gaikwad, fresh off a hundred, compiled a fluent 66 off 80 while Tilak, leading the side, struck 66 from 73 balls.

India found another gear in the closing overs thanks to Suryansh Shedge's 40 off 27 balls. Supported by useful cameos from Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam, India surged past the 300-mark and eventually posted a formidable 349 for 9 in their revised 49-over innings. Abdullah Ahmadzai was the standout bowler with a five-wicket haul, striking repeatedly at the death to prevent an even bigger total.

Chasing a revised target of 294 from 38 overs after further rain interruptions, Afghanistan came out with intent. Hassan Eisakhil struck 34 and shared a rapid 63-run opening stand with Imran Mir as the chase raced along at nearly eight runs an over during the Powerplay. Although Arshad Khan and Anukul Roy removed Eisakhil and Khalid Taniwal respectively, India were unable to build sustained pressure.

Imran Mir took charge of the chase with a composed yet proactive innings, reaching 75 off 69 balls. He found an able partner in Bahir Shah, who counterattacked impressively to move to a half-century. The pair added a century stand for the third wicket and steadily pushed Afghanistan ahead of the DLS par score. India created a few opportunities, including a close LBW appeal against Bahir and a tight run-out check involving Mir, but neither went their way.

With dark clouds gathering once again, Afghanistan reached 173 for 2 in 25.5 overs when heavy rain forced the players off the field. At that stage, they were three runs ahead of the DLS target, and with conditions preventing any further play, Afghanistan were declared winners by the DLS method.

India A 349/9 in 49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Ruturaj Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66; Abdullah Ahmadzai 5-68) lost to Afghanistan A 177/2 in 25.5 overs (Imran Mir 75*, Bahir Shah 51*) by 4 runs (DLS).