Rajvardhan Hangargekar five-for rips through feeble Pakistan A in Colombo

Pace sensation Rajvardhan Hangargekar absolutely crushed Pakistan A's batting unit in the ongoing ACC Mens Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023. The 20-year-old drew first blood in the fourth over of the match when he got the better of Saim Ayub. Later on, he picked up the important wicket of Omair Yousuf, as Pakistan had a terrible start to the game.

Meanwhile, after the initial struggles, Qasim Akram gave Pakistan some much-needed momentum, but Indian skipper Yash Dhull brought Hangargekar back into the attack, who picked up the important wicket of Akram, who scored 48 runs in the middle. Later on, the Indian pacer also got the better of Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Shahnawaz Dahani to complete his five-for.

Courtesy of his phenomenal spell in the middle, India restricted Pakistan to a mere 205 and will be aiming to chase the total down. Meanwhile, credit also goes to Manav Suthar, who was brilliant with the ball. The 20-year-old picked up three wickets, giving away only 36 runs in his ten overs, and thus, played a massive role in helping India restrict Pakistan to a chaseable total.

When it came to the chase, 21-year-old Chennai-born cricketer Sai Sudharsan started really well with the bat and eventually registered a terrific ton in Colombo. Despite losing his opening partner Abhishek Sharma rather early, Sudharsan continued in the same fashion and managed to get the job done at the end of the day. Batting at number three, Nikin Jose supported well in the middle as India chase the total down within 37 overs and won the match by eight wickets.

Meanwhile, with the win, India finished as the league leader and qualified for the semi-finals of the competition. Next up, they will be challenging Bangladesh at R Premadasa in Colombo on July 21, and if they qualify for the finals, the team will play on July 23. Interestingly, the brand of cricket India have played so far, and the team will back themselves to bring the trophy home.