Vaibhav Sooryavanshi throws away a flying start once again for India A

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has shown glimpses of his surreal batting talent during the ongoing tri-nation series in Sri Lanka. However, he hasn't been able to convert his blistering starts into substantial scores. The pattern continued on Wednesday, June 17, at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

In a must-win match, India's last in the round-robin phase, Tilak Varma lost the toss, and Afghanistan A opted to bowl first. Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya smashed 75 runs in eight overs against a potent Afghanistan bowling attack. However, the former was dismissed by 20-year-old left-arm pacer Faridoon Dawoodzai. The Bihar batter belted 38 runs off 28 deliveries, hitting four fours and two sixes.

Dawoodzai bowled a short delivery, and Sooryavanshi went for the pull shot to the leg-side. However, the ball hit the bottom of the bat and flew high towards cover point, and Khalid Taniwal took a comfortable catch.

Sooryavanshi lived a charmed life on Wednesday. He seemed to be caught by Dawoodzai in the second over of the match, but on replays, it was evident that some part of the ball was touching the surface. Sooryavanshi also hit a few balls in the air, but they didn't land in the hands of the fielder. However, his luck ran out in the eighth over.

After amassing 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.31 in IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi deservedly earned a place in India A's squad for the tri-series in the Island Nation. The youngest Orange Cap winner, however, has not been able to live up to his potential thus far.

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The 15-year-old has registered scores of 14 (12), 44 (22), 21 (14), and 38 (28). This totals 117 runs, and he is averaging 29.25 with a strike rate of 164.58. If India A do make it to the final, Sooryavanshi would want to get off to a good start yet again and not throw it away.