India A beat Oman to reach Rising Stars T20 semis

Doha, Qatar: India A booked their place in the semi finals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 in Doha, defeating Oman by six wickets at the West End Pak...

Doha, Qatar: India A booked their place in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 in Doha, defeating Oman by six wickets at the West End Pak International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

A well-composed fifty by Harsh Dubey and several top-order cameos kept India A on track as they chased down a modest 136-run target with authority, with 13 balls in hand.

The victory secured a spot in the semi-finals for the Jitesh Sharma-led India A, as they finished second in their group. Meanwhile, Oman, third in Group B, and the UAE were eliminated.

Oman A, after opting to bat first, was given a fiery start by skipper Hammad Mirza. Mirza smashed 32 off 16 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes. However, except for Wasim Ali, who struck an unbeaten half-century, the rest of the batters failed to keep up the pace after his dismissal in the fourth over. Ali scored 54 off 45 balls, anchoring the innings while wickets fell around him.

Suyash Sharma (2 for 12) and Gurjapneet Singh (2 for 37) did most of the damage as Oman A finished with 135 for 7. Chasing 136, India A lost early wickets, with openers Priyansh Arya (10 off 6) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (12 off 13) departing early. Naman Dhir scored 30 off 19, while Harsh Dubey crafted an unbeaten 53 off 44 balls to keep their chase under control. Nehal Wadhera (23 off 24) fell with just two runs needed, before captain Sharma finished off in style with a boundary, sealing the win in the 18th over.