Doha, Qatar – All eyes are set on young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi as India A and Bangladesh A clash in the first semi-final of the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. India A will be aiming for a spot in the final scheduled for Sunday.
India A entered the semi-finals after finishing second in Group B, having won two of their three matches. Their wins came against Oman and UAE, while they suffered a loss against arch-rivals Pakistan A. Bangladesh A, on the other hand, topped Group A with two wins and one loss. They secured victories against Hong Kong and Afghanistan A, but faced a narrow defeat against Sri Lanka A.
The spotlight is firmly on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old who has already made a huge impact in the tournament. Suryavanshi announced himself with a breathtaking 32-ball century against UAE in India's opening match. He followed it up with a gritty 45 against Pakistan in a losing cause. With a total of 201 runs, he is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
While Suryavanshi has been in stellar form, the other batsmen including Jitesh Sharma, Naman Dhir, Priyansh Arya, and Nehal Wadhera are yet to fire on all cylinders. A more rounded performance from the batting unit will be essential against a strong Bangladesh A side.
Bangladesh A's strength lies in their bowling attack, led by pacer Ripon Mondol and left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, who was part of Bangladesh's U19 World Cup-winning side in 2020. India will have to get their act together against the Bangladesh A bowlers.
India's bowling has shown flashes of promise, especially through pacer Gurjapneet Singh, who is their leading wicket-taker with five scalps in three matches. Spinners Harsh Dubey and Suyash Sharma have also contributed with three wickets apiece. However, they will need greater penetration and consistency to challenge the Bangladesh A batting lineup.
In the final league game, Bangladesh A went down and lost by a small margin of six runs against Sri Lanka A. Apart from having a strike-rate of over 220, Habibur Rahman Sohan is also among the top-three highest run-scorers of this year's tournament so far, while Mondol is the highest wicket-taker.
India A captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first in the semi-final clash against Bangladesh A. The winner of today's match will face either Pakistan or Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday.
Cricket fans in India can catch the live telecast of the match on Sony Sports Network. The match will be broadcast on Sony Sports 1, Sony Sports 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports 4 (Tamil), and Sony Sports 4 (Telugu) from 3 PM IST. Live streaming will also be available on the SONY LIV app and website.
