New Delhi. India's dream of reaching the final of the Emerging Team Asia Cup was shattered. Afghanistan defeated India by 20 runs in the semi-finals. Despite Ramandeep Singh's brilliant innings, the Indian team lost to the Afghan fighters in a high-scoring match. The Indian team, captained by Tilak Verma, entered the semi-finals by winning all its three matches in the league stage. The final will be played between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on 27 October.
Chasing the target of 207 runs set by Afghanistan, the Indian team could score only 186 runs for 7 wickets. For India, Ramandeep Singh played a quick inning of 64 runs in 34 balls which included 8 fours and 2 sixes. Nishant Sandhu scored 23 runs on 13 balls while Ayush Badoni was out after scoring 31 runs on 24 balls. Opener Prabhsimran Singh returned to the pavilion after scoring 19 runs and captain Tilak Verma scored 16 runs.
Afghanistan scored 206 runs for 4 wickets
Earlier, Afghanistan, batting first, scored a big score of 206 runs for 4 wickets. Sadiqullah Atal scored the highest score of 83 runs while opener Zubaid Akbari contributed 64 runs. Karim Janat was out after scoring 41 runs in 20 balls. For India, Rasikh Salam took 3 wickets for 25 runs. Sri Lanka won the ticket to the final by defeating Pakistan in the first semi-final. There was hope for a final between India and Pakistan but both the teams lost their semi-final matches on the same day. Team India had reached the last 4 while remaining unbeaten. It entered the semi-finals by winning all its three group matches. The Indian team, captained by Tilak, came under pressure of a big score in the semi-finals.
FIRST PUBLISHED : October 25, 2024, 11:28 pm IST
