India A bowed out of the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 cricket tournament in the semi-finals after a loss against Bangladesh A in a Super Over at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Friday.
Bangladesh, sent in to bat first, put up a formidable total of 194/6 on the board in their 20 overs, powered by opener Habibur Rahman Sohan’s 46-ball 65 and a quickfire unbeaten 48 off just 18 balls by SM Meherob in the death overs.
The Indian cricket team seemed well-placed at 150/4 after 15 overs but lost their way towards the end to match Bangladesh’s score after the 20 overs, taking the match into a Super Over, which they lost by one wicket.
Jishan Alam gave Bangladesh a flying start before he was caught by Naman Dhir off Gurjapneet Singh in the fifth over. Habibur Rahman Sohan, however, built on the platform and put together some handy partnerships.
India managed a few wickets in the middle overs to put the brakes on the Bangladeshi innings. When Sohan departed after completing his half-century Bangladesh were at 126/5 in the 16th over.
SM Meherob and Yasir Ali, however, ensured Bangladesh A finished with a big flourish. Mehrob took Naman Dhir for 28 runs in the penultimate over before Ali took on Vijaykumar Vyshak in the final over and hit him for two boundaries and a six.
Mehrob stopped two short of a half-century despite hitting a six off Vyshak’s final delivery.
Gurjapneet Singh was the pick of the Indian bowlers on the night with figures of 2/39 from his four overs.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi kickstarted India’s chase by hitting Ripon Mondol for 19 runs in the very first over and slammed two maximums off Meherob in the next. However, just as he was looking dangerous, the 14-year-old was caught in the deep for 38 off just 15 balls.
Suryavanshi’s departure saw Priyansh Arya take over the reins and maintain India’s run rate with a cluster of boundaries. However, Arya (44 off 23 balls) was stopped short of a half-century by Rakibul Hasan.
The two openers’ dismissals slowed India’s momentum but captain Jitesh Sharma and Nehal Wadhera picked things up after a brief period of consolidation. By the time Jitesh was dismissed for a 23-ball 33 at the end of the 15th over, India were comfortably placed at 150/4.
Wadhera and Ramandeep Singh helped inch India closer to the target but the latter’s dismissal in the penultimate over flipped the script.
With 16 to get from the final over, Rakibul Hasan conceded just two singles off the first two balls. Ashutosh Sharma hit a six off the third to ease some pressure before surviving a dropped catch in the next ball and earning a bonus boundary off it.
Rakibul, however, yorked Ashutosh out off the fifth delivery, leaving India with four to get off the final ball of the match.
Drama unfolded as the Bangladesh captain and wicketkeeper Akbar Ali failed to hit the stumps, allowing Harsh Dubey to run a three and tie the scores, taking the match into a Super Over.
India’s batting in the Super Over lasted just two balls as Ripon Mondal – the Player of the Match – dismissed Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma off successive deliveries to ensure Bangladesh needed just one to win.
Ramandeep extended the contest by taking a brilliant catch off Suyash Sharma to dismiss Yasir Ali but a wide in the very next ball sealed the affair. There was a potential stumping opportunity, but Jitesh Sharma failed to make much out of it.
Bangladesh will face the winner of the second sem-final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 final.
India A vs Bangladesh A, Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 semi-final, brief scores: Bangladesh A 194/6 in 20 overs and 0/2 in 0.2 overs (Habibur Rahman Sohan 65; Gurjapneet Singh 2/39) beat India A 194/6 in 20 overs and 1/1 in 0.1 overs (Priyansh Arya 44; Rakibul Hasan 2/39) by one wicket in Super Over.