Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige has stated that his team will not specifically target India A batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Sunday's tri-series final, despite the teenager being involved in an on-field confrontation during their previous encounter. Sri Lanka A secured their spot in the final by defeating Afghanistan A by 103 runs and will now face India A in Dambulla.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a tense Super Over. Chasing 14 runs off the final three deliveries, Sooryavanshi could not guide India A to victory and later became involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lanka A players, culminating in the youngster pushing Vishen Halambage. However, Arachchige emphasized that the incident is now in the past.
"The boys are not targeting anyone or anything. We are just enjoying ourselves. In a close game like a Super Over, emotions come out. That's normal," Arachchige told Sportstar. The Sri Lanka A skipper also expressed confidence in his side ahead of the title clash.
"With the batting, there is no issue. And with the bowling, every fast bowler and spinner is doing very well. I think we are in good shape," he added.
India A will enter the final aiming to recover from that defeat to Sri Lanka A, with Sooryavanshi once again expected to be a key attraction in the summit clash. It remains to be seen whether both teams have moved on from that episode, but the focus will be on Sooryavanshi, both for his temperament and his batting on Dambulla's slow surfaces.
The 15-year-old, who was recently named in India's senior squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, has already enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season. He had a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign, amassing 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike rate of 237.31, including 72 sixes.
Coming to Sri Lanka after riding the IPL high and a maiden India call-up, Sooryavanshi has found the slow pitches in Dambulla a bigger challenge, with the conditions curbing his natural strokeplay. The flamboyant left-hander has struggled to convert his starts, scoring 14, 44, 21, and 38 in four matches so far.
