Doha, Qatar – It was supposed to be a thrilling finish: India A chasing 195 in the semi-final had matched Bangladesh A’s total of 194/6, forcing a Super Over. But instead of riding the wave of form, the team opted for a surprising strategy — and it back-fired.
Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who featured an electrifying 38 off 15 balls in the match, sat on the bench while Jitesh Sharma opened the Super Over with Ramandeep Singh. Following Sharma’s dismissal on the first ball and Ashutosh Sharma’s failure at the next delivery, India A ended their mini-innings at zero runs — opening the door for Bangladesh A to seal the win with just a wide.
The decision not to send Suryavanshi and his partner Priyansh Arya – both labelled “masters of the power-play” by the captain – sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
Captain’s Response:
Addressing the press at the post-match ceremony, Jitesh Sharma said:
> “In the team, Vaibhav and Priyansh are masters of the power-play, while in the death-overs Ashu and Raman can hit at will. So the Super Over line-up was a team decision, and I made the final call.”
And with humility:
“I will take full responsibility — as a senior, I should have finished the game.”
Takeaway:
When a match comes down to an over, the usual metrics and form may take a back-seat to role-specific strategy. That’s what India A believed: Suryavanshi was the gun at the start, not the finisher. The result, however, served as a harsh reminder that sometimes instinct and momentum — especially from your tournament-top batter — might just need to override defined roles.
Discussion about this post