Tri-Nation Series 2026: India A suffer super-over defeat to Sri Lanka A after dramatic end in Dambulla darkness

In one of the more dramatic and controversial ends to a cricket game in recent times, India A suffered defeat to hosts Sri Lanka A at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla on Monday, 15 June. Following a tied affair at the end of 100 overs, the game went to a Super Over, where the Lankan outfit came out on top by seven runs. 

Sri Lanka batters one up, Suryansh Shedge and Vipraj Nigam

Sri Lanka A won the toss and opted to bowl first, with the Men in Blue posting 265 runs on the board after they were bundled out with four balls to spare. Tilak Varma’s side were restricted to 125 for 6 before Suryansh Shedge and Vipraj Nigam took over the scoring duties. Shedge scored 72 from just 66 balls while Nigam hit a 49-ball 51 to take India A to a competitive total. For Sri Lanka A, Mohamed Shiraz and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth both took three wickets each.

The hosts, however, had an excellent time with the bat and should have won the game within 50 overs. Sadeera Samarawickrama was the star of the show, scoring 93 runs and nearly taking his side to the win. However, it was his wicket in the final over which turned a relatively straightforward game into a dramatic and controversial finish. Sri Lanka failed to score five runs off the last thanks to Arshad Khan’s heroics with the ball, resulting in a Super Over. 

There was a lot of confusion towards the end due to the diminishing daylight in Dambulla. 

Sri Lanka prevail in the darkness 

Sri Lanka A came out to bat first in the Super Over and went on to score 16 runs. This was mainly down to Avishka Fernando’s six off the fifth ball bowled by Arshad Khan. However, there was more controversy in the Super Over. Arshad bowled a full toss on the last ball. With the Indian Team leaving the ground to prepare for their innings, the umpires deemed it a no-ball. This provoked captain Varma, who later confronted the match officials, but in vain. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had already padded up and was forced into the field for one ball.

After the kerfuffle, India A needed 17 runs to win the game. Sooryavanshi and Shedge walked in to bat and only managed nine runs, handing Sri Lanka A a much-deserved win. The post-match celebrations did not go down well with the 15-year-old batter, who was seen involved in a melee with the Sri Lankan players. 

Tilak Varma, India A captain:

“The games have been very close, this one went close and unfortunately we lost it in the Super Over. The partnership between Suyansh and Vipraj was outstanding and they did a good job. Overall, the bowling was good. The spinners were excellent and Arshad bowled well in the death overs.”

Sahan Arachchige, Sri Lanka A captain:

“It’s wonderful to win the match. Sadeera batted really well and the bowlers did their job. Viyaskanth and Chamika batted really well, which was the key to our win today. We want to treat the last match as another normal game and aim to win.”