India A defeated Oman by 6 wickets to storm into the ACC Men's Emerging Teams T20 Asia Cup 2024 semi-finals at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1), Oman on October 23, Wednesday. (Match Highlights | More Cricket News)
Batting first, Oman posted a total of 140/5 in 20 overs. In response, India chased down the target with ease, reaching 146/4 in just 15.2 overs.
The credit for the victory goes to several key performances: Abhishek Sharma's aggressive play (35 runs off 15 balls), captain Tilak Varma's resilience (unbeaten 36 off 30), Ramandeep's important sixes (4-ball 13), stellar bowling. But, mostly it was Ayush Badoni who truly excelled at Al Amerat with a swift 25-ball half-century knowing only two languages—four and six.
The 24-year-old smashed 51 runs off 27 balls, including six boundaries and two sixes, earning him the Player Of The Match honour. The standout moment came in the tenth over, where Oman bowler Samay Shrivastava regretted his deliveries as the Indian batter unleashed a barrage: four, four, six, six, four, followed by a dot ball before finally departing at the hands of Aamir Kaleem.
In the building of Oman's innings, Mohammad Nadeem emerged as the highest scorer, notching 41 runs off 49 balls. Hammad Mirza's cameo of 28 runs from 15 deliveries also contributed to the late surge.
During a powerplay that yielded 46 runs, the hosts lost three wickets, but then Wasim Ali steadied the ship with 24 off 28 balls, including two boundaries and a six. Captain Jitendra Singh added to the effort with a quick-fire 17 off 13 balls.
Indian bowlers delivered a strong performance in the field, with Aaqib Khan, Rasikh Salam, Nishant Sindhu, Ramandeep Singh, and Sai Kishore each claiming a wicket.
For Anuj Rawat, it was a challenging innings, managing just 8 runs off 11 balls. Nehal Wadehra's performance was, unfortunately, even more disappointing, ending with a mere 1 run from 5 deliveries, falling victim to Sufiyan Mehmood.
With this win, India A storm into the semi-finals, remaining the only unbeaten team to advance from the group stage. Tilak Varma's side will face the Afghan Abdalyans next on October 25. The other fixture will see Pakistan A taking on Sri Lanka A.
