Ramandeep Singh’s valiant half-century went in vain as Afghanistan A put up a clinical display to defeat India A by 20 runs and set up a summit clash against Sri Lanka A in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 tournament, here on Friday. Opting to bat first, Afghanistan A capitalized on a commanding 137-run opening partnership between Sediqullah Atal (83 off 52 balls) and Zubaid Akbari (64 off 41 balls) to post the tournament’s highest total, reaching 206/4.

In response, India A struggled, losing half their lineup by the 13th over before Ramandeep launched a spirited fightback with Nishant Sindhu, building an exhilarating 68-run stand in just 31 balls.

With India needing 53 runs from the last three overs, the momentum swung as Nishant (23 off 13 balls) was run out following a miscommunication.

Tasked with defending 30 runs in the final over, Abdul Rahman (2/32) held his nerve, dismissing Ramandeep on the last delivery and restricting India to 186/7, sealing Afghanistan’s place in the summit clash.

In the first semifinal, Sri Lanka A put up a splendid bowling show to restrict Pakistan Shaheens to a modest 135/9 before cruising to a seven-wicket win. They chased down the target in 16.3 overs.

Leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha was the architect of their win, returning with 4/21, while Nipun Ranskika and Eshan Malinga bagged two each.

The final is slated on Sunday.

Afghanistan A ended the powerplay on a high, amassing 20 runs in the sixth over to reach 61 without loss, as Zubaid and Sediqullah dismantled the Indian bowling attack.

Zubaid hammered four sixes and five fours, while Sediqullah contributed with four sixes and seven boundaries in a thrilling partnership.

Following Zubaid’s exit, Karim Janat maintained the momentum with a swift 20-ball 41, featuring two sixes and four fours.

Pacer Rasikh Salam then delivered an inspiring death-over spell, claiming three crucial wickets, including two in consecutive balls, to stymie Afghanistan’s scoring surge.

Rasikh first bowled Sediqullah around his legs in the 18th over, followed immediately by Darwish Rasooli (0), who dragged one onto his stumps.

Karim continued the onslaught but was finally dismissed by Rasikh in the penultimate delivery, ending an electrifying innings.

Unlike Afghanistan A, India A suffered a jittery start and lost three wickets inside the powerplay to leave their chase in disarray.

Allah Mohammed Ghazanfar accounted for Abhishek Sharma (7) and Prabhsimran Singh (19) while skipper Tilak Varma (16) fell to Abdul Rahman to reduce India to 48/3 in 5.4 overs.

Ayush Badoni (31; 24b) and Nehal Wadhera (20; 14b) then kept the scoreboard ticking before Afghanistan again triggered a collapse.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan A 206/4; 20 overs (Sediqullah Atal 83, Zubaid Akbari 64, Karim Janat 41; Rasikh Salam 3/25) beat India A 186/7; 20 overs (Ramandeep Singh 64) by 20 runs.

Ramandeep Singh and Vijaykumar Vyshak earned maiden India call-ups on Friday as the BCCI announced squad for an upcoming T20I tour of South Africa. Pacer Mayank Yadav, who recently made his India debut during the T20I series against Bangladesh, has not been included in the squad for the trip to South Africa, owing to an injury. “Mayank Yadav and Shivam Dube were unavailable for selection owing to injuries,” the BCCI said in a release.

All-rounder Riyan Parag was also unavailable for selection. As per BCCI’s release, the is currently at The BCCI Centre of Excellence for long term resolution of his chronic right shoulder injury.

Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the side, while the BCCI didn’t name any designated vice-captain for the four-match series.

The series will get underway on November 8, while the final game will be on the 14th of November. The matches will be played in four different venues — Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion and Johannesburg, respectively.

There was no place in the squad for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is expected to lead India ‘A’ during their upcoming tour of Australia.

Meanwhile, Ramandeep’s inclusion comes on the back of his stellar performance in the ongoing ACC T20 Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. However, India’s campaign came to an end after a defeat to Afghanistan in the semi-finals.

Along with the T20I squad, the BCCI also named the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia, starting November 22. Three uncapped Test players Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Abhimanyu Easwaran are in line for their long-format debut. Since India are scheduled to play five Tests, the BCCI has named a big travelling contingent, also comprising of three reserve players.

India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: 

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.