India A Clinch Series in Thriller Despite Four-Wicket Hauls from Sangha and Murphy

India A sealed a dramatic two-wicket win over Australia A in the third and final unofficial ODI in Kanpur to clinch the three-match series 2-1, riding on a blistering maiden ton from Prabhsimran Singh and crucial contributions from Shreyas Iyer and Riyan Parag. Despite impressive four-wicket hauls from Australia A’s Tanveer Sangha and Todd Murphy, India A held their nerve to chase down a challenging target of 317 with 24 balls to spare.

Prabhsimran set the tone early with a scintillating 102 off just 68 balls, laced with eight fours and seven sixes. Opening with Abhishek Sharma, he added 83 runs for the first wicket inside 12 overs. Although India A lost quick wickets—Abhishek and Tilak Varma falling in succession—Prabhsimran maintained the tempo until his dismissal to Sangha in the 20th over.

Captain Shreyas Iyer (62 off 58) and Riyan Parag (62 off 55) capitalised on the strong platform, stitching together a 117-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, Sangha struck again, dismissing both set batters in quick succession before removing allrounder Nishant Sindhu.

Australia A sniffed a comeback when Murphy removed Ayush Badoni and Harshit Rana in the same over, reducing India A from 262 for 3 to 301 for 8. But Vipraj Nigam (24*) and Arshdeep Singh (7*) held their nerve, guiding the hosts home with an unbroken 21-run ninth-wicket stand.

Earlier, Australia A’s innings was a roller-coaster. Arshdeep Singh (3 for 38) and Harshit Rana (3 for 61) gave India A a dream start, reducing the visitors to 44 for 4. Cooper Connolly’s aggressive 64 off 49 balls provided some stability before a 152-run seventh-wicket partnership between captain Jack Edwards (89) and Liam Scott (73) propelled Australia A to a competitive total of 316 in 49.1 overs.

While Sangha (4 for 72) and Murphy (4 for 42) sparked a late collapse, the earlier damage done by India A's top-order—and the composure of their lower order—ensured they emerged victorious in a closely contested decider.

Match Summary:
Australia A – 316 all out in 49.1 overs (Edwards 89, Scott 73; Arshdeep 3-38, Rana 3-61)
India A – 322 for 8 in 46 overs (Prabhsimran 102, Iyer 62, Parag 62; Murphy 4-42, Sangha 4-72)
India A won by 2 wickets
Series: India A won 3-match series 2-1