Controversy erupts during India A Vs Pakistan A Asia Cup Rising Stars match
Nehal Wadhera's clean boundary line catch denied
India A lost to Pakistan A in an one-sided affair
India A and Pakistan A's meeting at the ACC Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 erupted with controversy after Nehal Wadhera's splendid catch near the boundary rope was denied by the TV Umpire.
The arch-rivals met each other in a Group B match at the Asian Town Cricket stadium in Doha last night. It was an important game for both sides, who turned up with an aim to grab all 2 points and remain at the top 2 spots of the points table.
India A batted first after losing the toss and were quite easily taken down by the Pakistan Shaheens bowling line-up.
Skipper Jitesh Sharma (5 off 9), Priyansh Arya (10 off 9) Nehal Wadhera (8 off 11), Ashutosh Sharma (0 off 6), Ramandeep Singh (11 off 9) and Harsh Dubey (19 off 15) -- all flopped with scores of less than even 15 runs.
Opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi and number 3 batter Naman Dhir were the standout batters for India A with their short-lived but quickfire knocks of 45 and 35 respectively.
The Blues eventually left 137 as the target and that didn't prove to be problematic at all for Pakistan, who chased the total down within 13.2 overs, thanks to opening batter Maaz Sadaqat's man of the match winning 79-run knock.
But there was one moment in the match when India A thought they got the dangerous looking Maaz Sadaqat out before he guided Pakistan Shaheens to the victory.
With 44 needed off 66 balls, Sadaqat struck Suyash Sharma towards deep midwicket. The left-hander looked to clear the ropes, but eventually saw Nehal Wadhera complete a splendid boundary line catch, much like the one Suryakumar Yadav took in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final.
The catch by Nehal Wadhera looked clean enough but the Umpires felt otherwise.
After several video checks, the 3rd Umpire said it was not-out with Jitesh Sharma and co arguing with the on-field Umpire about the incident.
Neither was it pronounced out nor was it given a six and it not only confused the player but also the viewers watching from across the globe.
Up next, India A will face Oman in their final Group B match where they will aim to secure a victory and qualify for the next round.
