Lucknow Super Giants’ young talent Ayush Badoni showcased his impressive range of strokes as India A secured a six-wicket victory over Oman, setting up a semi-final clash with Afghanistan A in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup on Wednesday. Badoni scored 51 runs off just 27 balls, helping India A chase down the target of 141 in a swift 15.2 overs, finishing their Group B campaign with a perfect record.
The gifted right-hander from Delhi displayed remarkable footwork against the spinners, elegantly lofting one over extra cover for a six and executing a reverse slog sweep with precision. He also delivered a well-timed back-cut against one of the Omani pacers. In total, he struck six fours and two sixes before being dismissed just before India A reached the target.
Senior T20 opener Abhishek Sharma contributed significantly with a quick 34 runs off 15 balls to ignite the chase, while captain Tilak Varma anchored the innings with an unbeaten 36 runs off 30 balls, allowing Badoni to take the spotlight. Varma rotated eight bowlers against the experienced Oman team, with five of them claiming one wicket each.
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The standout bowlers were left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who took 1 wicket for 21 runs in 4 overs, and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, who bowled economically with figures of 0/20 in 4 overs, collectively conceding just 41 runs during the crucial middle overs.
Brief Scores:
Oman: 140/5 (Mohammed Nadeem 41; R Sai Kishore 1/21)
India A: 146/4 in 15.2 overs (Ayush Badoni 51 off 27 balls)
India A won by 6 wickets.