India A captain Jitesh Sharma made an interesting choice in the Super Over against Bangladesh A in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 tournament, when he kept the in-form Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the dugout and opened the batting with Ramandeep Singh before Ashutosh Sharma walked in at No. 3.
The riveting semi-final was played at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha on Friday, November 22. Suryavanshi scored a brisk 15-ball 38 at the top of the order as India A were
in pursuit of a 195-run target. After the match eked into the Super Over, India A had to bat first. While everyone expected Suryavanshi, the team's leading run-getter in the tournament, to come out to bat for the second time in the day, the duo of Jitesh and Ramandeep marched to resume proceedings.
After Jitesh was dismissed off the first ball by Ripon Mondol, Ashutosh came out to bat, with Suryavanshi watching impatiently from the dugout. It was obvious that he was itching to get out to the middle and take India A to a solid total with his big-hitting prowess. However, the India A management had other ideas.
Ashutosh was out for a golden duck as India A's innings ended in just two balls. Bangladesh lost the wicket of Yasir Ali off the first ball, but Suyash Sharma followed it up with a wide to give the opposition a memorable victory.
The commentators, as well as the fans were perplexed to see India A not sending Suryavanshi, who finished the tournament with a staggering strike rate of 243.88, out to the middle in the Super Over. However, Jitesh explained in the post-match presentation ceremony that Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya are masters of the powerplay, while he, Ashutosh, and Ramandeep hit well in the back end of the innings.
“In the team, Vaibhav and Priyansh are masters of the powerplay, while in the death overs, Ashu and Raman can hit at will. So the Super Over lineup was a team decision, and I made the final call,” Jitesh stated.
I should have finished the game: Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh scored 33 off 22 balls, threatening to take the game away from Bangladesh A, before he was dismissed in the 15th over. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper-batter admitted that he should have finished the game for his team.
“Good game of cricket and a valuable learning experience for us. I will take full responsibility— as a senior, I should have finished the game. It’s about learning, not just winning or losing. You never know, these young players may win a World Cup for India someday. In terms of talent, they’re touching the sky. It’s all about learning and gaining experience,” Jitesh added.
