Sri Lanka A captain downplays India A's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of final
Quick Look
- Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige stated his team will not target India A batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the tri-series final, despite a past on-field confrontation.
- The teams meet again in Dambulla after a tense Super Over.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Sri Lanka A and India A will face each other in the tri-series final in Dambulla. Their previous encounter ended in a tense Super Over, with an on-field confrontation involving India A's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige has said his team will not be focusing on India A batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Sunday's tri-series final, despite the teenager being involved in an on-field confrontation during the teams' previous meeting.
Sri Lanka A secured a place in the final after beating Afghanistan A by 103 runs and will now face India A in Dambulla.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a tense Super Over.
Chasing 14 runs from the final three deliveries, Sooryavanshi could not take India A over the line and later got involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lanka A players. The incident ended with the youngster pushing Vishen Halambage.
However, Arachchige said the episode is now behind them.
"The boys are not targeting anyone or anything. We are just enjoying ourselves. In a close game like a Super Over, emotions come out. That's normal," Arachchige told Sportstar.
The Sri Lanka A skipper also backed his side ahead of the title clash.
"With the batting, there is no issue. And with the bowling, every fast bowler and spinner is doing very well. I think we are in good shape," he said.
India A will head into the final looking to bounce back from that defeat to Sri Lanka A, with Sooryavanshi once again expected to be one of the main attractions in the summit clash.
It remains to be seen whether both teams have moved on from that episode, but the focus will firmly be on Sooryavanshi, both for his temperament and his batting on Dambulla's slow surfaces.
The 15-year-old, who was recently named in India's senior squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, has already enjoyed a breakthrough IPL. He had a record-breaking IPL 2026 season, smashing 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike-rate of 237.31, including 72 sixes.
Coming to Sri Lanka after riding the IPL high and a maiden India call-up, Sooryavanshi has found the slow pitches in Dambulla a bigger test, with the conditions curbing his natural strokeplay.
The flamboyant left-hander has not quite been able to convert his starts. In four matches so far, he has scored 14, 44, 21 and 38.
Open Questions
- Will the teams have moved on from the previous confrontation?
- How will Sooryavanshi perform on Dambulla's slow pitches?