If, as an Indian fan, you are offended and hurt after India A’s defeat by Afghanistan A in the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka, it’s understandable. But there is no reason to read too much into Tilak Varma’s men’s loss by four runs via the DLS.
It’s normal to lose matches at this level. These matches are played to learn, not necessarily to win. And then on Thursday at Dambulla, it was the rain that did it for Varma and company. While anything can happen in cricket, if the match had gone the full distance, India A would have fancied themselves to win. Of course, the Afghan team deserves the credit for not losing their shape in the chase, but still, it was the rain that ruined the day for the Indian team.
Also Read: ‘Vaibhav, if you’re listening…’: Sooryavanshi made aware of distractions, father Sanjeev given a task
Anyway, the point is it’s not a big deal to lose these matches. There is no cause for hue and cry. India A teams have lost before to weaker oppositions. They lost to Pakistan A twice in the last three years. At junior levels, there is no overwhelming difference between teams, particularly among Test nations. It’s the senior level where often there is a big chasm between the quality of teams.
Pakistan A beat India A in the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup final by 128 runs, thanks to a century from Tayyab Tahir. Then, last year again, Pakistan A (Shaheens) beat India A in a group stage match of the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. Maaz Sadaqat’s all-around performance was instrumental to the win. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya were part of the second defeat too.
Key learning from the loss!
So, what India A would have learnt from yesterday’s game. To begin with, when rain is around, there is a pressing need to bowl well. There is a pressing need to take wickets, which the team didn’t and as a result lost a game that they should have won.
Despite the defeat, there were plenty of positives for India A. They batted really well. There were a couple of occasions when quick wickets appeared to threaten the innings’ momentum. First, Sooryavanshi and Arya departed in quick succession but thereafter Prabhsimran Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad batted sensibly to build a nice partnership. Then later Gaikwad and Ayush Badoni fell off successive balls, but India A again recovered nicely thanks to Varma and Suryansh Shedge. They absolutely batted like a champion team.
Unfortunately for them, rain stood in the way between them and the win. A lesson in itself that sometimes the elements conspire against you and all your efforts go to pot. Then all the Indian bowlers who bowled at Dambulla were, until a few weeks back, playing in the Indian Premier League, a totally different format. It ain’t easy to switch formats just in a matter of days. Compared to batsmen, bowlers tend to take longer to adapt, take longer to hit the right lines and lengths.
The same bowlers will improve as the tournament progresses, you will see. Who knows, they might even provide the star turn towards the latter stages, including the final? So, the defeat by Afghanistan A, first for the Central Asian team against the Indians at this level, should be forgotten like a bad dream.