The Rising Stars Asia Cup semi-final between India A and Bangladesh A ended in chaos, with the game eventually decided by a Super Over.
No runs were scored off the bat in the Super Over, with Bangladesh winning off a wide.
Plenty of drama unfolded in the last half hour, but the game began with Bangladesh A posted an imposing 194-6, thanks to opener Habibur Rahman Sohan's 65 off 46, and an unbeaten 18-ball 48 from Meherob Hasan. For India A, spinners Harsh Dubey and Suyash Sharma excelled, returning a combined 2-39 from eight overs.
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Their chase got off to a flyer as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya put the Bangladesh A bowlers to the sword. By the time the former was caught for 38 off 15, India A were 53-1 in 3.4 overs. No.3 Naman Dhir struggled a touch, but India A were still well-placed to chase down their target by the time skipper Jitesh Sharma's dismissal left them 150-4 in 15 overs.
1st Semi-Final, Bangladesh A vs India A
vs
- Ball by ball Over
The last two overs of the match
Nehal Wadhera and Ramandeep Singh brought the equation down to 21 off the last two overs. With 20 off 11 needed, Wadhera miscued a full toss from Ripon Mondol. It went straight up in the air, before wicketkeeper Akbar Ali went on to drop it, and the batters snuck in a single. The following ball, Ramandeep hit the ball straight down the throat of long on to depart for 17.
It then came down to 16 off the final over bowled by left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, and Ashutosh Sharma and Wadhera could only manage singles off the first two balls. With 14 needed off four, Ashutosh hit the next ball over long on for six. Trying to repeat the feat over the off side the next ball, he hit it straight to Jishan Alam at long off, but the fielder put down the catch (he had taken three earlier). To make matters worse, the ball trickled into the boundary cushion.
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Rakibul hit back with a yorker to bowl Ashutosh, and India A needed four off the final ball to win. New batter Harsh Dubey muscled Rakibul to long on along the ground, and the game seemed over even as the batters kept running with nothing to lose.
But as the throw from the boundary came in to the keeper, he bizarrely attempted to throw down the stumps, with India A still one short of levelling the scores. He missed, and as the ball rolled away the batters completed a third run, and sent the game into a Super Over.
One Super Over, three golden ducks
Facing the first ball of the Super Over, Jitesh attempted to reverse-ramp Mondol, only to see a yorker rearrange his stumps. Next ball Ashutosh, the new batter, then miscued a slog and was caught at cover. India A were all out for zero.
The drama did not end there, though. When Bangladesh A came out to chase, Yasir Ali picked the googly from the leggie Suyash Sharma, and went for the shot of glory over long on. Ramandeep, stationed on the fence, did well to hang on to the catch, and ensure he remained within the field of play – confirmed after a brief check by the TV umpire.
Akbar Ali then walked in to face, knowing his dismissal would send the game into another Super Over. Suyash delivered another googly but sent it ever so slightly down the leg side – with leg slip and short leg fielders both in place. Akbar missed the ball, and it was called wide, sending Bangladesh A through to the final.
In the end, the Super Over phase of the game lasted three balls, saw three golden ducks and no runs scored off the bat.
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