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NEW DELHI: India A held their nerve to edge past Pakistan A by 7 runs in a closely-fought encounter during the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 in Al Amerat.
Led by captain Tilak Varma, India A posted a competitive 183/8 in their 20 overs, before their bowlers restricted Pakistan A to 176/7 to register a narrow victory.
India A’s innings started with a bang as opener Abhishek Sharma smashed 35 off 22 balls, featuring five boundaries and two sixes, before he was caught by Qasim Akram off Sufiyan Muqeem’s bowling in the sixth over.
Prabhsimran Singh kept up the momentum, contributing a brisk 36 from 19 balls, but fell shortly after to Arafat Minhas. Prabhsimran’s knock was studded with three fours and as many maximums.
Capitan Tilak anchored the innings with a vital 44 off 35 balls, while Nehal Wadhera added 25. Ramandeep Singh’s quickfire 17 from 11 helped India A reach a challenging total of 183 for 8.
Pakistan A’s bowling was led by Sufiyan Muqeem (2/28) and Qasim Akram (1/20), while Mohammad Imran and Zaman Khan also chipped in with a wicket each.
In reply, Pakistan A’s chase began disastrously as captain Mohammad Haris was bowled by Anshul Kamboj for 6 in the very first over.
Yasir Khan looked in dangerous form, smashing 33 off 22 balls, but his dismissal to a stunning one-handed catch by Ramandeep Singh proved crucial.
Pakistan A struggled to build partnerships as Anshul Kamboj (3/33) and Rasikh Salam (2/30) kept the pressure on with key breakthroughs.
Qasim Akram (27) and Arafat Minhas (41) steadied the ship briefly, but their efforts were not enough as wickets fell at regular intervals.
Abdul Samad (25 off 15) provided a late scare for India with some powerful hitting, but his dismissal in the penultimate over to Kamboj left Pakistan A with too much to do.
Zaman Khan and Abbas Afridi managed 24 runs from the final two overs, but India A held on, limiting Pakistan to 176/7 in 20 overs.
Kamboj was adjudged Man of the Match.
India A will now face United Arab Emirates on Monday at the same venue.
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