Ripon Mondol shines as Bangladesh A win the Super Over to reach the final

Ripon Mondol shines as Bangladesh A win the Super Over to reach the final

Ripon Mondol bowled a perfect Super Over to power Bangladesh A to an enthralling victory over India A in the first semi-final of the ACC Men's Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship.

Bangladesh A reached the final of the Rising Stars Asia Cup after beating India A in a dramatic semi-final in Doha on Friday. The game was so close it almost went into a second Super Over, but seamer Ripon Mondol held his nerve to knock India A out.

Mondol bowled a brilliant 19th over, giving away only five runs and dismissing the set Ramandeep Singh, leaving India A needing 16 runs from the last over. Bangladesh nearly failed to defend it, though. With eight runs needed off the last three balls, Jishan Alam dropped a simple catch at long-off, and the ball even went for four. But Ashutosh Sharma was bowled the very next ball, leaving India A needing four off the final delivery.

India A then got lucky when Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali misjudged an underarm throw. With Harsh Dubey running hard, Akbar had enough time to finish the game but missed the stumps. With no one backing up, India A stole three runs to force a Super Over.

In the Super Over, India A made a tactical mistake by not sending their biggest six-hitter Vaibhav Suryavanshi to open. Mondol bowled perfectly, dismissing Jitesh Sharma with a yorker and forcing Ashutosh into a mis-hit. India A managed almost nothing, leaving Bangladesh A to chase just one run.

There was one last twist when Suyash Sharma dismissed Yasir Ali first ball, but his next delivery was a wide, handing Bangladesh A the win in thrilling fashion.

India A’s campaign ended disappointingly. They had already lost to Pakistan A in the group stage and struggled against Oman. Their poor bowling at the end of this match was a big reason for the loss, as they gave away 50 runs in the last two overs. SM Meherob smashed 48 off 18 balls, including four sixes in one over, while Habibur Rahman had earlier set the tone with 65 off 46 balls.

India A’s chase started strongly, racing to 50 in just 19 balls thanks to Suryavanshi’s quick 38 off 15. But Naman Dhir struggled for timing and fell cheaply. Later, Priyansh Arya (44) and Jitesh Sharma (33) kept the chase alive, but once Jitesh was out, Ramandeep and Nehal Wadhera couldn’t finish the job. The innings collapsed in dramatic fashion, and India A bowed out of the tournament.