India A vs Pakistan A Highlights Emerging Asia Cup Final: PAK A wins by 128 runs, lifts second straight title

That’s it for the day. Not to be for the India A team. Still, plenty to look forward to. . Some promising displays by quite a few players. Sai Sudharsan, Manav Suthar and Yash Dhull to name a few. Surely, a lot of these names will make the senior team.

Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, good bye!

India A was right in the hunt for the first half of its innings. But is collapse was sudden and meak. The game turned with India A going from 132/2 to 194/8. Abhishek Sharma and Sai Sudharsan got off to a flying start. Jose and Dhull consolidated it too. But all India A battres were guilty of not converting starts. Too many batters perished looking for aggressive strokes, and were guilty of not reading the game situation.

In hindsight, the same could have been the fate of Pakistan A’s innings. But it was Tayyab Tahir’s century that prevented that. The innings ensured Pakistan A is crowned champion for second straight edition.

Wasim to Dodiya. Loud appeals for a leg before. The ball thuds onto Dodiya’s pads on the full. A run out chance as well. There’s a mix up between Dodiya and Suthar but the entire Pakistan team is consumed in the appeal. A leg bye is stolen and the umpire denies the appeal too.

Suthar continues to block deliveries and frustrate the Pakistan A faithful in attendance. Clips the fifth delivery to deep square for a single.

OUT! Wasim castles Dodiya! That’s the end. Pakistan A wins by 128 runs and lifts the Emerging Asia Cup 2023 title.

Iqbal to Dodiya. FOUR runs. Dodiya packs away a full length delivery through mid wicket. Picks a single off the final delivery.

Yuvrajsinh Dodiya is the last man in. Manav Suthar to face Wasim. Loud appeals for a leg before on the fourth delivery but the ball seemed to be going down leg. A swing and miss from Suthar.

FOUR off the final delivery. Suthar lofts a full length ball over mid wicket. There is no man in the deep and Suthar adds runs to his tally.

Iqbal gets the ninth wicket! He beats Hangargekar with pace and rattles his off stump. There’s a check for no ball going on. The third umpire deems it a fair delivery and the wicket stands.

Mehran for his eigth over. Two singles from the over and a FOUR for Hangargekar. The pair of Suthar and Hangargekar offering stiff resistance for the ninth wicket.

Arshad Iqbal is back! A WIDE down leg is the only run from the over as Manav Suthar sees out six deliveries. He is yet to get off the mark.

Muqeem for his final over. FOUR! Hangargekar gets an outside edge which goes wide of the slip fielder. Again, Muqeem foxing the batter with a googly.

That is the onky scoring shot of the over. Muqeem ends his spell with 3/66.

Mehran to Hangargekar. Picks a single with a flick to mid wicket. India A gets to 200 with this.

Muqeem to Rana. SIX! Rana picks the wrong one and slog sweeps it over cow corner.

WICKET! Rana is gone. He edges while looking for a slog and gives away a catch to first slip

Two new men at the crease - Hangargekar and Suthar. The former gets off the mark with a punch to deep cover.

FOUR byes! The wrong one beats Manav Suthar and Mohammad Haris and runs all the way to the fence.

Mehran to Parag. A single off the fourth delivery of the over. Rana punches to long off for the second run of the over.

WICKET! Parag is castled. A perfect delivery from Mehran. Pitches on off and turns away. Parag is clueless on that one as the ball disturbs the furniture.

Seven runs for India A from Muqeem’s over. Rana with a SIX in the over.

Mehran for his fifth over. Chance! Parag’s slog on the on side draws a top edge. The ball goes over Mehran and falls safe.

WICKET! Jurel is caught at long off. India A innings is falling apart. Another batter who looks to take on the bowler and clear the fence but holes out in the deep.

Harshit Rana walks in and defends the final delivery off the over.

Dhruv Jurel c Farhan b Mehran 9(12)

Muqeem continues. Parag guides a delivery outside off to the empty fine leg region. Three runs taken. Jurel cuts to deep point for a run.

India’s asking rate inching to eight now.

Parag with a glance to fine leg for two runs more. Beaten on the final delivery by a wrong one.

Mehran back for his fourth over. Jurel clips to square leg for a single. Parag plays three dots. A punch to long on for a single on the penultimate delivery. FOUR to finish. A short delivery and Jurel hangs back to pull to deep mid wicket.

Muqeem to Dhull. Lifts it over the infield for single. Jurel off the mark with a cover drive for one run.

WICKET! A BIG WICKET! YASH DHULL IS OUT! Holes out to long on trying to clear the fence.

Riyan Parag gets off the mark straight away. FOUR for Parag to end the over. Clears his leg and lofts it over mid on.

Yash Dhull c Saim b Muqeem 39(41)

Mubasir to continue. Three singles from the first three deliveries.

OUT! Mubasir gets Sindhu. He wants to loft it over long off but is done by a hint of turn. Tahir gets under it and takes it with a dive.

Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 for India A.

Nishant Sindhu c Tahir b Mubasir 10(15)

A neat over from Muqeem. Five dots and just one single for Yash Dhull to deep cover. India A 199 runs away from the target.

Eight runs for India A in Mubasir’s over inclduing a FOUR for Dhull down to fine leg.

Muqeem to Dhull. An inside edge runs to fine leg and Farhan chases it all the way from first slip. Saves one run. Brilliant effort!

India A yet again flirting with danger. Dhull is not even in the screen as the ball is returned to the keeper by the point fielder. Thankfully for Dhull, Haris dislodges the bails with his legs even before he gets the ball.

Two runs for Sindhu with a cover drive. One run on the final delivery.

Dhull picks a single on the first delivery of Musabir’s over. Sindhu off the mark with a couple after an inside edge runs to square leg.

Five runs from the over in total.

India A’s required rate nearing seven and a half.

IND A: 132/3 | PAK A: 136/1

Muqeem for his third over. Chance! Dhull’s drive takes the toe end and teases the long off fielder only to land way short of him.

SIX! A slog sweep by Abhishek. That’s his first maximum of the innings.

WICKET! Abhishek Sharma falls! He cuts a short delivery but lands it straight in the hands of the point fielder. A big wicket.

Nishant Sindhu is the new batter.

Abhishek Sharma c Tahir b Muqeem 61(51)

Mubasir to continue. FOUR! Dhull pulls a short delivery to square leg. Four runs more in the over off singles to take the tally to eight.

Muqeem to Abhishek. The southpaw gets off strike with a drive to long off.

FOUR! Lucky runs. Dhull is early into his sweep and gets a top edge. It loops over the first slip fielder and runs away to the fence.

FOUR more! Dhull lofts it down the ground. One bounce and it goes over the boundary. A single on the last delivery.

Wasim to Abhishek. Guides a delivery on off stump to third man. Yash Dhull chips one in the air but the ball drops in no-man’s land. Two runs completed.

A three-run over for India A.

Sufiyan Muqeem for his first over. Abhishek opens the face of his bat and places the ball to deep point region. Two runs by the time Wasim cuts it from his deep cover position.

Dhull taps the third ball to long on to bring up India A’s 100. Abhishek places the ball to the left of Wasim at deep cover and picks another couple. Gets to his FIFTY with a punch to deep cover.

Wasim continues. Two singles off the first two deliveries. Dhull with a classic cover drive but Tahir’s dive at mid off saves the boundary. FOUR! Abhishek gets a full and wide delivery and he square drives it through deep point. A single off the final delivery.

Mehran for his third over. FOUR! Mehran drags one short and Abhishek is onto it in a flash. Takes a step into his crease, squares up and sends it over square leg.

Six runs from the over.

Wasim continues. FOUR! Jose with a pull shot to cow corner. WICKET! Jose has been given caught behind. He is left stunned at the crease as is Abhishek at the other end. The ball came off the thigh. Wasim hits the deck, Jose goes for a pull but misses. The ball kisses the back leg on the way to Haris and Pakistan A thinks there is an edge. Umpire agrees with the appeal.

Yash Dhull at the crease now. Picks a single with a drive to cover.

Nikin Jose c Haris b Wasim 11(15)

IND A: 76/1 | PAK A: 74/0

Mehran to continue. Jose’s punch gets through the infield but an excellent dive from Qasim Akram saves two runs for Pakistan A. Two dots followed by a punch to long on for a single.

Mohammad Wasim Jr for his first over. Abhishek pushes at a delivery rising on him. The edge runs away to third man and Abhishek takes a single. Jose rotates strike on the next delivery. Abhishek with a glance to fine leg for the third single of the over. A punch off the final ball gets another run to Jose.

Mehran Mumtaz is the new bowler. Jose takes a single to long off. Abhishek with a tap down the ground to complete a single. Two more singles off the over. The end of PowerPlay.

Iqbal to continue. WICKET! Sudharsan falls. A well-direct bouncer and Sudharsan top edges and Mohammad Haris takes the catch. A check for no ball gives brief hope to India A but the third man quashes it.

Nikin Jose in at No. 3. Takes a single off his first delivery.

Sai Sudharsan c Haris b Iqbal 29(28)

Mubasir back for his second over. Abhishek on strike. Takes one run with a flick to mid wicket. Sudharsan punches to long off for a single. Just two runs from the over.

Iqbal to Sudharsan. Chance! The batter is surprised by a bouncer. Sudharsan tries to gets his bat in the way after taking his eyes off. A leading edge but it falls short of the short mid wicket.

Sudharsan misses a ramp shot. Iqbal and Haris think there is an edge and appeal, only to be denied by the umpire. FOUR to finish off. A full toss and Sudharsan flicks it over mid wicket.

Akram to Abhishek. Chance! Abhishek taps to point and starts for a single. A direct hit from the fielder and Abhishek was done. Is it necessary to take these risky singles?

Sudharsan picks a single to mid wicket. 5WIDES! No, Pakistan. No. Cannot afford to gift runs like this. Fifty partnership. FOUR to end. An inside out drive by Abhishek after stepping out of the crease.

India’s deficit now inside 300 runs.

Arshan Iqbal back. 5 runs. Abhishek Sharma steals a single off a bat-pad. The fielder, in a bid to try a run out, overthrows for four. Sudharsan picks a run with a cover drive.

Abhishek gets an outside edge but it is too low and wide of the wide slip. One run to India A’s tally. FOUR! Sudharsan with a slash to mid wicket. Rolled his wrists too to place the ball wide of the mid wicket fielder. FOUR more. This time worked past short fine leg.

15 runs coming off the over.

Akram to Sudharsan. A misfield gifts FOUR to India A. Sudharsan punches on the off side. It is headed straight to a fielder but he somehow lets it slip through.

Sudharsan is hurried by a delivery that skids through. An inside edge takes the ball to fine leg and Sudharsan runs three.

Sudharsan’s straight drive hits the non-striker’s stumps. Akram puts in an appeal but it’s more out of hope than conviction. The umpire is not interested.

Spin from both ends. Mubasir Khan to Abhishek. Two runs from the first ball. FOUR! Abhishek pierces the field on the off side and finds a boundary.

Chance! The India A batters try steal a single and Sai Sudharsan is in danger at the striker’s end. NOT OUT says the third umpire with a dive saving Sudharsan. A direct hit would have been the end of him.

Sudharsan drives to long off for a run. FOUR to finish. Abhishek hangs back and hoists on the on side. There is deep mid wicket in place but he cannot get to it in time.

Qasim Akram from the other end. A leg bye for India A off the first delivery. Sudharsan picks a single with a flick to deep mid wicket. Abhishek gets a run with a drive to long off.

Sudharsan cuts to point and gets another run. A single off the final ball.

Iqbal begins with a WIDE down leg. Sudharsan picks a single off the second delivery. Abhishek Sharma off the mark a tap to point. Sudharsan with a straight drive but Iqbal gets a foot to it. Just two runs.

Sai Sudharsan and Abhishek Sharma are out in the middle. Arshad Iqbal to bowl for Pakistan A.

A mammoth total for India A to chase down. The spinners had pulled back the side into contention. Pakistan A went from 1811/2 to 187/5. It looked that despite the 121-run opening stand, India A might get the target down to under 300. But Tayyab Tahir had other plans. The right-hand batter scored 108 off 71, and with support from Mubasir Khan, catapulted the team total past 350.

Harshit Rana to bowl the final over. Wasim with a ramp shot attempt but cannot find the sweet spot. Has to settle for a single.

FOUR! Wasim gets a half volley and he lofts it over mid off. Pakistan has the psychological barrier of 350. Wasim digs out a yorker and sends it to deep square. Two runs from the final delivery.

Hangargekar to Muqeem. A single to long off. SIX! Hangargekar offers it in the slot and Wasim hits over long off. A WIDE in the over too.

Three slower deliveries off the final three. Nine runs from the over.

Rana to continue. Wasim gets a single with a pull short on the first delivery. WICKET! Mehran is caught behind. He tries to work a delivery way outside off to the on side. Gets a faint edge and Jurel takes it.

Sufiyan Muqeem in at No. 10. Muqeem plays a wild pull on a bouncer and manages to hit it to mid wicket and take a run. Four runs in the over.

Mehran Mumtaz c Jurel b Rana 13(10)

WICKET! Mubasir Khan is caught! Hangagekar keeps it wide of off stump and as Mubasir chases it, he gets a toe end.

Mohammad Wasim joins the action. He pockets a run with a poke to long on. Mehran digs a yorker out and sends it to deep cover for two. Jurel then allows two byes.

FOUR to end the over. Mehran reverse sweeps and beats the short third fielder too.

Mubasir Khan c Reddy (sub) b Hangargekar 35(47)

Harshit Rana back at the death. FOUR! Mehran wastes no time to attack. The ball rushes on to him but his slash has enough to send it over cover and to the fence. Four more from the over in singles.

Hangargekar to continue. SIX! Tahir with a hook shot on a short ball. Goes over square leg.

TAHIR IS OUT! Goes to dig out a delivery from the block hole. The toe end of his bat can only carry it to long on. A valiant innings comes to an end.

Mehran Mumtaz walks out to bat. He takes a single off the last delivery.

Tayyab Tahir c Abhishek b Hangargekar 108(71)

Manav Suthar to bowl. Tahir faces. SIX! Steps down and packs it over long on. That’s the hundred partnership between Tahir and Mubasir.

FOUR! Tahir gets to his hundred with a trickle down leg.

FOUR! Lucky four. Suthar’s flight foxes Tahir. He is outside his crease but his wild swing gets an edge and runs to the third man boundary. FOUR more! Mubasir ends the over with an inside out drive.

Hangargekar back for the 43rd over. FOUR! Tahir with a ramp shot on the first delivery. Hangargekar strays on the pads and Tahir guides it to fine leg for two runs. He moves into his ninties.

Sindhu to bowl his ninth over. Just three singles from the over. A relatively quite over.

Suthar to bowl. Tahir picks a single on the first delivery

Mubasir gets two off an outside edge. FOUR! Mubasir now late cuts and finds the fence.

Dodiya to bowl his seventh over. Tahir gets two runs with a late cut.

FOUR! Tahir gets room to free his arms and he lifts it over the infield on the off side. SIX! Now, a six over long on. Tahir is putting India under the pump. A WIDE from Dodiya. FOUR more. Gets in line and scoops it over fine leg. Simply mind-boggling from Tahir.

Sindhu to Tahir. A couple off the first delivery.

FOUR! Poor work in the field. Tahir sweeps. It is headed straight to Dodiya at deep mmid wicket but he slips and lets it pass between his legs.

Just one more single from the over.

Dodiya back for a second spell. SIX! Mubasir finally breaks free! Gets to the pitch of the wide delivery and with an almost horizontal bat parks it over long off. That shot brings up the 50-run partnership between Tahir and Mubasir

SIX! Tahir with another maximum. Dragged short by Abhishek and Tahir’s pull sees the ball sail over cow corner.

Another overthrow in the over. FIFTY FOR TAHIR! The Pakistan A rests on his shoulders.

FOUR! Nearly caught at long on. Tahir pulls again but this time misses the timing a bit. Hangargekar chases the ball, even dives, but it beats him and runs to the fence

SIX! Tahir steps out to Parag, gets to the pitch and smashes it down the ground.

Adds FOUR more. A reverse sweep off the back of his bat. A single to mid wicket on the fourth delivery. Chance! Mubasir’s drive gets an inside edge but misses the stumps. He takes a single before the ball is fielded. Another single off the final delivery.

Abhishek Sharma back in the attack. Tahir picks a single off the third delivery. Mubasir’s struggle at finding the singles continues. He plays three dots and is now on 4 off 22 deliveries.

Parag to Tahir. FOUR! An inside out shot by Tahir. No protection in the deep and Tahir moves to 28

Dropped! Tahir goes for a block on a good length delivery but the ball goes on straight. The edge, howver, is dropped by Jurel.

Sindhu continues. Tahir cuts and before third man fields it, he takes a single. Four dot deliveries for Mubasir.

India A managing to bring down the run rate from seven to six. The wickets have really jolted the momentum.

Mubasir takes a single off Suthar’s first delivery. Tahir drives the third delivery to deep cover and adds another run in the over. Just two runs from the overs.

Sindhu to Tahir. A drive along the ground which is picked by long off. One run taken.

Mubasir blocks and sets off for a single. Sai Sudharsan gets to the ball and takes a shot at the non-striker’s end and Mubasir just about makes it.

FOUR! Tahir gently guides a ball going down leg. It runs away to the fence and Pakistan gets a welcome boundary.

Manav Suthar back for his sixth over. Tahir punches to long on for a single. An outside edge gets Mubasir off the mark. Just three runs from the over.

Sindhu to Haris. Chance! Haris’ pull shot is all over the place. He gets a top edge and the ball goes up in the air. Lands before long on gets to it and Haris survives.

WICKET! Sindhu gets his man. Haris is trapped leg before. Another pull shot messed up and his back leg is straight in front of the wicket.

Mubasir Khan is the new batter and he plays two dots. Just two runs and a wicket in the over.

Mohammad Haris lbw b Sindhu 2(6)

Riyan Parag seems to have taken a caught and bowled chance. But the umpires have referred it upstairs. Yousuf taps it towards long on but as the ball hangs in the air, Parag dives to his right to latch onto it.

WICKET! The third umpire has gone in favour of India A. It was 50-50 call and the third umpire thinks Parag has his fingers under the ball there. OUT! Qasim Akram falls on the first delivery. Pulls it straight to Harshit Rana at deep mid wicket. Parag fires the hat-trick ball down leg.

Mohammad Haris with a push to long on for a run. Two wickets in the over. Is this where India A turns the tide?

Omair Yousuf c & b Parag 35(35)

Qasim Akram c Rana b Parag 0(1)

Abhishek Sharma to continue.

FOUR! Yousuf punishes a half volley and pulls it to deep mid wicket.

FOUR more. Was going down leg and Yousuf gets the faintest of touches on it as it runs away to the boundary. Gets a single on the final delivery to retain strike.

Riyan Parag for the first time today. Tahir with a paddle sweep straight away to pick two runs. A single on the next. Yousuf gets off the strike with a tap to mid wicket. Just four runs from the over.

Abhishek Sharma is back into the attack. Yousuf with a quick single after a tap to point. Sai Sudharsan was on the ball in a flash but still could not stop the single. Tahir with a run after he mistimes a slap shot to deep square. Two runs for Yousuf on the final delivery.

Manav Suthar to bowl his fifth over.

FOUR on the final delivery! Suthar bangs it short and Tahir makes no mistake in sending to the fence with a pull.

Sindhu to Tahir. FOUR! Pulls a short delivery to the deep mid wicket fence.

The batters run four. Yousuf takes a quick single and the fielder in a hurry to get the throw allows overthrows.

A total of 11 runs from the over.

Suthar to continue.

RUN OUT! An unlucky dismissal for Farhan. The ball rolls close to Dhull at short cover but Farhan is half way down the wicket. Yousuf asks him to turn back but Farhan slips in the middle. Jurel gets the throw from his captain and runs the batter out.

Tayyab Tahir gets a single on the final delivery.

Sahibzada Farhan run out (Jurel/Dhull) 65(62)

Yousuf gets a single to long on off Sindhu’s first delivery. SIX! Farhan clears his front foot, takes it on the full and parks the ball in the stands beyond deep mid wicket. A single off the third delivery. Two more singles from the remaining three deliveries.

Suthar to Yousuf. FOUR! A cheeky late cut past short third man.

The Pakistan A physio is back on the field for another check.

Suthar keeps it stump-to-stump on the next two and gets dot balls. Yousuf tries an inside out loft on the fourth but Suthar drops it flatter to thwart that. FOUR! Sweeps it past deep square leg. One run from the last ball.

Sindhu to Farhan. He taps the first delivery to long off for a single. Yousuf gets off the mark as he picks one run. Farhan with a cut shot wide of deep cover to pick two runs. Two more singles make it six runs from the over.

Change of ends for Manav Suthar. SIX! Saim lifts it straight back over Suthar’s head.

WICKET! Suthar breaks the partnership. Saim Ayub makes room and wants to cut the delivery. He gets an inside edge which pops into Jurel’s hands off the pad.

Omair Yousuf in at No. 3.

Saim Ayub c Jurel b Suthar 59(51)

Nishant Sindhu to bowl his first over. Farhan starts the over with a block. On the second delivery, he charges down and lofts it on the off side. The ball carries to long off on one bounce.

Saim is hit on the helmet after he misses a sweep. An interuption as the umpires want a concussion check. Saim picks a single on the final delivery.

A good start for Sindhu.

Harshit Rana back into the attack. He went for 21 off his first two overs. Saim on strike.

FOUR! Saim with a straight drive to bring up his FIFTY! A single on the next delivery.

Farhan brings up his FIFTY! He hits it wide of deep cover and by the time he fields the ball, the batters run two. Three more singles from the over to take the over’s tally to 10.

A change in bowling for India A. Manav Suthar comes in.

An appeal on the second delivery as Saim’s paddle sweep comes off the pad. The umpire denies and no signal for leg bye suggests it came off the bat too.

Farhan gets an edge but there is no second slip and the batter runs two. SIX! A couple of steps down the wicket and packs it over long on. 100 up for Pakistan A. 11 runs from Suthatr’s first over.

Dodiya continues. Farhan faces him.

FOUR! Farhan again charges down the pitch and smokes it to the long on fence. A punch to long on off the next delivery.

Saim drives to deep cover to get off strike.

Abhishek to Saim. FOUR! An inside out stroke to clear the infield. No cover in the deep and the ball takes one bounce and crosses the rope. A single off the next delivery.

FOUR more! Farhan steps out and hits it straight back. The ball passes under the diving Harshit Rana at long off.

12 runs from the over as Pakistan A continues to march on.

Dodiya to Saim. Uses the sweep on the first delivery and picks two runs. Picks a single with a tap to long off on the second delivery of the over.

Those are the only three runs from the over.

Abhishek Sharma to continue. Just two singles from the over.

Yuvrajsinh Dodiya to Saim Ayub.

FOUR! Slog swept to deep mid wicket. Takes single off the next ball.

FOUR more! Farhan lofts the ball over mid off to add four to his tally. SIX! A slog sweep over cow corner. One run on the final delivery of the PowerPlay.

Abhishek Sharma to Farhan.

FOUR! Slaps an overpitched delivery past mid on. Farhan misses a slog sweep on the penultimate delivery. He is plumb in front of the wickets as the ball hits his pad but is saved by the pitch of the delivery which was outside leg.

Dodiya to Farhan, picks a single with a drive to long on. Saim then mistimes a slog sweep.

FOUR! Saim nudges a ball coming onto his pads down to fine leg. The fielder was inside the circle and Saim used it to his advantage.

Saim misses a cut shot and Jurel appeals thinking it is leg before. He lets the ball past him in doing so. Saim thinks he can sneak in a single but is sent back by Farhan.

Abhishek Sharma to Saim Ayub.

Saim again steps out and looks for an inside out shot. Cannot get it into the air and the ball is fielded at short cover. One run on the next to long on. Farhan gets a single of the over’s final delivery.

Just two from the over.

Spin from both ends as Yuvrajsinh Dodiya comes in to bowl.

A maiden over. Farhan connects with the ball on all six deliveries but cannot place it through the gaps in the infield.

Spin brought into the attack by Yash Dhull. Abhishek Sharma to bowl the fifth over.

FOUR! A half volley going down leg and Saim Ayub swivels and sends it over the head of the short fine leg fielder. Saim gets a single to long on off the third delivery. Farhan with a single to deep square but he was nearly castled by the arm ball. Got his bat down at the last second.

Hangargekar to continue. One leg bye off Saim’s pad. Three runs from the fourth delivery. Farhan pulls and the deep square leg fielder fields the ball, fumbles it and then sends it back. The fumble allowed the third run.

NO BALL! Hangargekar gets the wicket of Saim but he’s overstepped. A free hit incoming for Pakistan A. No run from the extra delivery.

Harshit Rana to bowl the third over. Sahibzada Farhan on strike for the first time today. Farhan taps a ball angling in to square leg and completes a quick single. Mix up! Saim’s drive is saved bby Suthar in the circle but Saim thinks of stealing a single. Sent back by his partner and manages to get back in time. A single with a trickle to third man.

SIX! Farhan joins the party. He reads the length early and tonks the ball down the ground.

Rajvardhan Hangargekar from the other end. Saim on strike. Right on the money is Hangargekar. Keeps it outside off which Saim taps to point. Saim beaten on the second ball trying to cut. Saim walks out and looks to pull but misses the shot. Appeals for LBW as the ball struck the pads.

FOUR! Another pull shot by Saim. A different kind of pull, though. Keeps his head down as he hits it. He finds the fence, nonetheless.

5 WIDES for Pakistan A. The delivery is straying down leg and even Dhruv Jurel cannot get to it. The last two deliveries of the over are dot balls.

Ran to Saim. Starts with a WIDE down the leg side. Two dot balls next. Rana getting lateral movement away from left-handed Saim. Another WIDE in the over. That was not too far from getting an edge. Saim shuffles across but cannot connect the glance shot.

SIX! Saim pulls a short delivery pitching on the leg stump line. That’ll give him some confidence. FOUR! Rana changes to around the wicket and Saim drives it through covers.

A single off the final delivery. An expensive first over.

Saim Ayub walks out with Sahibzada Farhan to begin the Pakistan A innings.

Harshit Rana to begin the bowling for India A.

India A has not won the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup since 2013. It won inaugural edition and that is the only title in its bag. Today, Dhull and his boys, who’ve been on a marauding run so far, have a chance to add a second.

This is, as most of our readers would already know, the second meeting between the two teams in this tournament. India A won the first game against Pakistan A.

India A had won the toss and put Pakistan A in to bat. The side could only manage 205 runs as Rajvardhan Hangargekar picked a five-wicket haul. Sai Sudharsan then scored a ton as India A romped home to an eight-wicket win.

So India A sticking to the tried and tested combination it had used in the semifinal against Bangladesh A.

For Pakistan A, Mehran Mumtaz comes back in place of Amad Butt.

INDIA A: Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma, Yash Dhull (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Nikin Jose, Nishant Sindhu, Harshit Rana, Manav Suthar, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya

PAKISTAN A: Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (c & wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Omair Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Mubasir Khan, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Arshad Iqbal, Sufiyan Muqeem

India A wins the toss and opts to field.

Yash Dhull has been one of the top batters in the tournament. He proved his worth in the semifinal where he farmed strike and helped a struggling Indian innings cross 200 runs. It was his knock that ultimately proved game-changing, for which he was given the Player of the Match award.

The two heavyweights clashed in the 2013 Emerging Asia Cup final as well. Pakistan A won the toss and opted to bat. India A put on a show with the ball and bundled out its rival for only 159 runs. In response, India A got to the target inside 34 overs with a certain KL Rahul playing an unbeaten 93 run innings.

India: 4 | Pakistan: 1

India A will be keen to assert its dominance in the Emerging Asia Cup tournament when it faces Pakistan A in a potentially high-voltage summit clash here on Sunday.

Generally, it is tough to pick a favourite in matches between India and Pakistan, but in this instance, the former stands out as the clear front-runner.

FULL PREVIEW:

INDIA A

Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma (vc), Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Yash Dhull (c), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Stand-bys: Harsh Dubey, Nehal Wadhera, Snell Patel, Mohit Redkar.

PAKISTAN A

Mohammad Haris (c, wk), Omair Bin Yousuf (vc), Amad Butt, Arshad Iqbal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Muqeem and Tayyab Tahir. Non-traveling reserves: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Junaid and Rohail Nazir.