India A kicked off the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka with a victory, defeating Sri Lanka A by 8 runs in a thrilling contest. The Indian team set a target of 278 runs for Sri Lanka; the hosts were bowled out for 269, losing the match by 8 runs. Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando opened the innings for Sri Lanka, providing a solid start by adding 93 runs for the first wicket.

Avishka was dismissed for 45 off 59 balls with the score at 93. Shortly after, Sri Lanka suffered a second blow at 99 when Niroshan was dismissed for 47 off 45 balls. They lost their third wicket at 109 as Nuwanidu Fernando fell for 8 runs. Sadeera Samarawickrama and captain Sahan Arachchige brought Sri Lanka back into the game by adding 78 runs for the fourth wicket. Samarawickrama scored 46 runs before falling as the fourth wicket with the team score at 187.

India A wins a thriller at Dambulla

While wickets continued to tumble thereafter, captain Arachchige held one end firm and scored a magnificent half-century. He played an innings of 74 runs off 72 balls before being dismissed as the seventh wicket; at the time of his dismissal, Sri Lanka needed just 16 runs to win. Following Arachchige’s dismissal, the Sri Lankan batting lineup faltered, and the team was bowled out for 269 in 48.5 overs, losing by 8 runs. For India, Ayush Badoni, Anukul Roy, Arshad Khan, and Vipraj Nigam claimed two wickets each, while Anshul Kamboj took one.

Earlier, India A won the toss and elected to bat, posting a total of 277 for 6, with Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring a century. The right-handed batsman played an innings of 101 runs off 114 balls, hitting three sixes and six fours. Additionally, captain Tilak Varma scored 60 runs off 97 balls, aided by one six and two fours. Priyansh Arya scored 32 runs, Ayush Badoni scored 24, and Suryansh Shedge remained unbeaten on 26.

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