“Sir, it’s not ice and fire, it’s fire and fire,” Sanju Samson had joked of his opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma after India’s T20 World Cup glory. It seems that this sentiment has spread to the junior Indian team as well.

India A is set to face Sri Lanka A in the final of the tri-series to be played in Dambulla on Sunday, June 21. From an early exit from the tournament to becoming the first team to qualify for the finals, it has been quite a week for the Indian team.

In their first match of the tournament, India A had a narrow escape against the host teamSri Lanka A. In the second game, they lost to Afghanistan A in a rain-interrupted contest. Then, in their third game against Sri Lanka A, Tilak’s team lost to the hosts in a scrappy Super Over.

Tilak Verma and Vaibhav Suryavanshi were in different controversiesA stain on the team’s tour.

When their chances of qualification were looking slim indeed, India A produced a brilliant performance in their final round-robin game against Afghanistan A. The margin of victory was so strong that from the brink of elimination, India became the first team to qualify for the A finals, leaving Afghanistan and Sri Lanka battling for the remaining spots.

If that’s not fire and fire, I don’t know what is.

Tilak Verma Captain

If there is any cricketer who has learned the most from this series, it is Tilak Verma. After a narrow victory against Sri Lanka, a crushing defeat at the hands of Afghanistan and then a crushing defeat by Sri Lanka, Tilak had to move quickly in a short period of time.

“As a captain, the biggest learning for me is to understand each player – how they react under pressure, what is their mindset and how to get the best out of them. I spend a lot of time with the players off the field as it helps me understand them better,” Tilak Verma told Sportstar.

He said, “I have seen Rohit bhai do that with Mumbai Indians and the Indian team. I know how important those relationships become when you are in the middle. I have tried to implement some of those things here and it is working well so far.”

Verma will be crucial to India’s chances in the final – both as captain and as a batsman. Along with the willow, he has provided stability in the middle overs, a phase that has proven difficult for all teams in the competition.

Will we get a Vaibhav Suryavanshi show?

The prodigiously talented Vaibhav Suryavanshi has not been able to set the tri-series on fire yet.

Whenever he has come out to bat, he has looked in good form. But despite getting the start, he has not been able to convert it into a big score yet.

The Sri Lankans seem to have found a way to trap him with off-spin, and it’s a ploy that everyone will probably be keeping a close eye on. If this is a lack in glory then other teams will definitely try to take advantage of it in the near future.

The India A captain said that the string of mediocre scores is not a matter of concern and the team does not feel that Vaibhav needs to play his cricket differently. The youngster has the captain’s backing and is unlikely to change his style.

Sri Lanka nailed the fight

One thing that perhaps needs to be said about Sri Lanka A is that there are many senior players in this team.

Opening batsmen Avishka Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella are seasoned professionals in international cricket, and so is Sadira Samarawickrama.

The kind of confrontation that happened in the teams’ last game should have been addressed on the spot by the senior members on the field.

One wonders whether Sri Lanka will reach Sunday’s final in similar fashion again. If they do, things can go wrong very quickly.

And this will be the true test of India A. Especially their captain Tilak Verma – Can he combine his fire with ice to keep a hold on his team and the game?

Are there any weaknesses in India?

India A’s bowling remained a cause for concern till the last game.

Sri Lanka A’s top order has dominated the Indian pace attack in both the matches. But the team came back strong with the ball in their final round-robin game against Afghanistan, which is basically the development that Tilak talked about before the final.

India’s spinners are expected to perform well, but fast bowling remains a matter of concern.

india a vs sri lanka livestreaming

India A vs Sri Lanka A match will start at 10 AM IST. The toss will take place at 9:30 am.

india a vs sri lanka a pitch report

The pitches have been favorable for spin throughout the tournament and it is expected that the slow bowlers will once again be favored in the final.

However, what can make a real difference is the wind, which can bring swing into the game.

Strong winds are expected during match hours. There is no possibility of rain.

India A vs Sri Lanka A Predicted Playing XI

India A’s probable playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Verma (captain), Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Nishant Sindhu, Anukul Roy, Arshad Khan, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur.

Probable playing eleven of Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Avishka Fernando, Vishen Halambage, Sadira Samarawickrama, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sahan Arachige (captain), Wanuza Sahan, Vijayakanth Wiyakanth, Kugathas Mathulan, Chamika Gunasekara, Mohammed Shiraz.

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