Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Screengrab)

NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again gave a glimpse of his extraordinary talent before falling short of a major score as India A reached 161/2 in 20 overs against Afghanistan A in the Tri-Nation Series in Sri Lanka on Thursday.The 15-year-old batting sensation lit up the opening phase of the innings with a fearless 44 off just 22 deliveries, striking nine fours and scoring at a remarkable strike rate of 200.After Afghanistan A captain Imran Mir won the toss and opted to bowl, Sooryavanshi wasted no time taking the attack to the opposition. He got off the mark with a boundary off his very first ball and never looked back, punishing anything loose from the Afghanistan seamers.The youngster’s aggressive approach helped India A race to 50 without loss in just five overs. He repeatedly found gaps through the off-side, while also showing his ability to dominate short-pitched bowling. His partnership of 74 runs with Prabhsimran Singh laid a strong foundation for the innings.At one stage, a half-century looked inevitable. However, Abdullah Ahmadzai provided Afghanistan A with the breakthrough in the eighth over. Attempting an improvised ramp shot against a short delivery, Sooryavanshi only managed to edge the ball behind to wicketkeeper Ishaq Rahimi.The dismissal left the teenager visibly disappointed as he walked back after entertaining the crowd with a whirlwind knock that lasted just 22 balls but shifted the momentum firmly in India’s favour.While Sooryavanshi grabbed the early headlines, Prabhsimran ensured India A maintained control of the innings. The wicketkeeper-opener anchored the batting effort with an unbeaten 82 off 65 balls, hitting 14 fours and rotating the strike effectively through the middle overs.Priyansh Arya made a brief contribution of 8 before becoming Ahmadzai’s second wicket, while Ruturaj Gaikwad settled in with an unbeaten 23 from 28 deliveries.Afghanistan A’s bowlers managed to slow the scoring rate after the powerplay, with Khalil Gurbaz proving particularly economical. However, Sooryavanshi’s explosive start had already given India A the platform they needed, leaving fans once again wondering what might have been had the youngster stayed a little longer at the crease.