Sooryavanshi lets the bat do the talking

An astonishing 11-ball half-century by opening batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi anchored a ferocious start for India A against Sri Lanka A in the Tri Series final at Dambulla. Coming off the back of a relatively quiet tournament, the young prodigy dismantled the local bowling attack from the opening over, blasting a rapid 94 runs off just 29 balls before falling short of a milestone century.

The left-hander unleashed absolute mayhem during his brief stint at the crease, striking ten boundaries and clearing the boundary ropes eight times with a strike rate exceeding 320. He set the tone immediately by hitting bowler Mohamed Shiraz over his head for a straight boundary on his very second ball, before treating the rest of the pace attack with complete disdain. He went cross-batted to swat Dulaj Samuditha over mid-on to reach his record-breaking fifty in the fourth over.

Despite getting two reprieves when fielders put down difficult aerial chances on 58 and 70, the opening batsman refused to slow down. He targeted spin bowler Sahan Arachchige in the ninth over, launching a spectacular six over extra cover. However, trying to clear the boundary again on the next ball, he mistimed a lofted shot to mid-off, where the Sri Lanka A captain took a comfortable catch to end the devastating innings.