Sri Lanka A were cruising.
260 for 3. Two batters set. The pitch flat. The pacers tired.
India A had nothing happening.
And then the second new ball arrived.
Enter Auqib Nabi.
A name most cricket fans are only just learning to spell.
This is Nabi's maiden India A call-up.
He earned it the hard way — 104 Ranji wickets across the last two seasons, and a historic maiden Ranji title for Jammu & Kashmir.
Now he was bowling the most important spell of his life.
👉 19.4 overs.
👉 4 wickets for 58.
👉 Sri Lanka A bundled out for 330.
The last 5 wickets? Gone for just 30 runs.
For most of the day, the hosts were in total control.
Ashen Bandara and skipper Sahan Arachchige had stitched a 117-run stand.
Arachchige was brutal on the spinners — 3 sixes, 5 fours, vibes of a man writing his own headline.
Then Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey struck back.
Both set batters caught by Devdutt Padikkal.
Lanka: 268 for 5.
Skipper Dhruv Jurel waited.
And waited.
The Kookaburra was due.
The moment Jurel tossed it to Nabi, the match tilted.
🟥 Anjala Bandara — gone, caught Padikkal
🟥 Ravindu Fernando — gone, caught Pandey
🟥 Chamika Gunasekhara — trapped LBW, incoming delivery
🟥 Dulaj Samudhita — same treatment, pads in the way
Four wickets. One spell. One debutant making the seniors take notice.
India A first innings: 452/6.
First innings lead: 122.
Second innings at stumps: 48 for no loss.
Overall lead: 170 runs.
One small worry — first-innings centurion Sai Sudharsan retired hurt on 4.
But Ayush Pandey and Padikkal walked off on 20 not out each, looking unbothered.
Day 4 plan looks simple.
Bat till lunch. Set around 300. Then unleash Nabi again.
But the real story isn't the scorecard.
It's a 29-year-old seamer from Kashmir, on debut, showing India's selectors exactly what they've been missing.
The pipeline just got deeper.
And somewhere, a Test cap might be quietly moving closer to him.
That's all for now!
