India A demolish Sri Lanka A with a day to spare

Spinner Rahul Chahar shone on day three, ending with a match bag of eight wickets, to guide India A to an innings and 203-run demolition of Sri Lanka A with a day to spare, in the first unofficial Test match concluded at Belgaum yesterday.  

The Sri Lanka A batsmen, apart from Niroshan Dickwella who made a top score of 103 and skipper Ashan Priyanjan, put in a pathetic batting display succumbing to Chahar who was well supported by Shivam Dube, Sandeep Warrier, Ankit Rajpoot and Jayant Yadev.  

Sri Lanka A resuming from their overnight score of 83 for 4 were steadied courtesy of a partnership between Dickwella and Priyanjan who added a further 78 runs yesterday for a partnership of 111 before the latter was dismissed.  

From there on Sri Lanka A fell back and lost wickets at regular intervals. Dickwella held on until he was the eighth batsman dismissed having made a 113-ball knock of 103 inclusive of 15 boundaries.   

Chahar and Yadav cleaned off the tail to bowl out the visitors for just 232, who were well short of India A’s mammoth score of 622 for 5 declared. 

Sri Lanka A first innings batting lasted just 35.4 overs on day three.  

Sri Lanka A following on, with a massive deficit of 390 runs, fared worse, reduced to 3 for 4 with right arm medium pace pair Ankit Rajpoot and Sandeep Warrier and spinner Chahal sharing a wicket each.  

Despite Sadeera Samarawickrama and skipper Ashan Priyanjan putting on a valuable 88 runs for the fourth wicket the duo fell victims to Chahal and Samarawickrama’s dismissal saw Sri Lanka A in tatters with the score on 99 for 5.  

Spinners Chahal and Yadav shared four of the remaining five wickets as Sri Lanka A were bowled out for 185 runs. 

Chahal ended with a match bag of 8 for 123 while Rajpoot, Warrier and Yadav finished with two wickets each. 

 
Sri Lanka A’s batting of both the innings on day three lasted just 88.1 overs.  

The two teams will play their second unofficial Test match from May 31 in Hubli.   - MSA