By: Express News ServiceNovember 17, 2025 12:21 AM IST 4 min readIndia's Naman Dhir (inset) was given an angry finger-pointing send off by Pakistan bowler Saad Masood, who was quickly warned by the umpires. (Screengrab via ACC YouTube)When Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Naman Dhir were in the middle, India A appeared to be heading to another big score, even if not at the rate they were against UAE a couple of days back. But after Naman fell in the 9th over and Vaibhav followed him in the 10th, India A went from 91/2 to 136 all out against Pakistan A in the Rising Stars Asia Cup tournament in Doha. That collapse proved decisive as Pakistan A cruised past the finish line in just 13.2 overs, riding on an unbeaten 79 from left-handed opener Maaz Sadaqat, who had also picked up a couple of wickets earlier. India’s pacers couldn’t cause early dents in the defence, leaking boundaries and extras as Jitesh Sharma-led India suffered a heavy defeat. Maaz Sadaqat was involved in the bizarre incident of the catch being given a dot ball. (PHOTO: ACC via X)In India’s defence, there was a moment of controversy at the start of 9th over after the TV umpire ruled not out over a relay catch at the boundary line that left the Indian players livid. Sadaqat had nearly walked off the field as the replays looked fairly conclusive for a legitimate catch, but by then, India A were well behind the eight-ball. Sadaqat came back to the middle and continued on his merry way to power Pakistan A into the semifinal with two wins out of two. India A will have to beat Oman in their next match to confirm their place in the last four.Earlier in the day, players of both teams on Sunday avoided handshakes before the start of their match as well post match, continuing the trend started by the senior sides during the Asia Cup in September. Both team went their separate ways after the national anthems. During the Asia Cup in September, India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav didn’t shake hands with Salman Ali Agha as a show of solidarity for victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. It continued for all three matches. Jitesh followed in his senior’s footsteps and did not shake hands with Pakistan Shaheens skipper Irfan Khan at the toss.India were off to a strong start despite losing the wicket of Priyansh Arya early. Vaibhav was not as imperious on Sunday as he was against UAE but he and Naman found the boundaries regularly as India reached 50/1 at the end of the powerplay. They continued to keep the foot on the pedal but after Naman and Vaibbhav departed in the space of one over, the rest of the batting unit faltered, including captain Jitesh. Naman’s dismissal was met with an angry finger-pointing send off by bowler Saad Masood who was quickly warned by the umpires.India’s batting unit struggled to deal with the change of paces from Pakistan’s bowling unit, although Ashutoush Sharma can be considered unlucky for being given out LBW when the impact was well outside off stump.Searching for early wickets in the second half, Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur lacked control in the first powerplay. Pakistan’s run-chase never really looekd in troubled despite the reprieve Sadaqat got off Suyash Sharma’s bowling in the 10th over.India A 136 all out in 19 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 45, Shahid Aziz 3/24) lost to Pakistan A 137/2 in 13.2 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 79*, Suyash Sharma 1/31) by 8 wicketsStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd