In an epic thriller of a game, Bangladesh A beat India A in the semifinal of the ACC Men's Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 on Friday (November 21). Needing a boundary to win off the final ball, India ended up getting three runs thanks to a blunder from Bangladesh's wicket-keeper captain Akbar Ali who tried a fancy under-arm throw, only to miss and allow India the third run that brought about a Super Over.
If not for Ali's brainfade, Bangladesh should have sealed a one-run win after the stipulated 40 overs of the game. Instead, the game went to the Super Over where India lost their two wickets in the first two balls itself. However, with just a single needed to win, Bangladesh also lost a wicket off their first ball, raising the probability of a mind-boggling tie.
That, though, was averted as Suyash Sharma spilled a wide to let Bangladesh across the line in one of the craziest T20 games of all time. India only have themselves to blame as they let slip a brilliant opening stand from Vaibhav Suryavanshi (38 off 15) and Priyansh Arya (44 off 23) while chasing a competitive target of 195.
Once the openers fell, Bangladesh were able to wrestle back some momentum despite another steady stand between Jitesh Sharma (33 off 23) and Nehal Wadhera (32* off 29). Ramandeep Singh and Ashutosh Sharma played decent cameos but India left themselves with too much to do at the back end. Fortunately for them, Ali's blunder gave a second chance at victory.
Earlier on, Bangladesh's innings rode on opener Habibur Rahman's 46-ball 65 that set the tone for the innings but it was SM Meherob's 18-ball 48* that made a bigger impact. From eyeing a total of around 175-180, Bangladesh were able to get an extra 15-20 runs that put more pressure on India.
Ultimately, it was a game of nerves and Bangladesh managed to win despite nearly self-destructing at the end.
