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Ranji Trophy 2014-15 groups

Group A
Karnataka, Bengal, Mumbai, Railways, UP, Baroda, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh
Group B
Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Vidarbha, Haryana, Odisha
Group C
Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Hyderabad, Andhra, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Services

India’s 2014-15 domestic schedule

Duleep Trophy: October 15 to November 3
Zonal one-day leagues: November 7 to 14
Vijay Hazare Trophy: November 19 to 25
Deodhar Trophy: November 29 to December 3
Ranji Trophy league: December 7 to February 8
Ranji Trophy quarter-finals: February 15 to 19
Ranji Trophy semi-finals: February 25 to March 1
Ranji Trophy final: March 8 to 12
Irani Cup: March 17 to 21
Zonal Twenty20: March 25 to 28
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: April 1 to 7

The BCCI has decided to stage all the Ranji Trophy knockout games at neutral venues in the 2014-15 season. This would mean a change to current norm by which knockouts are played on a rotational home-and-away basis.The decision was recommended by the technical committee recently and was formalised during the tour, programme and fixtures committee meeting in Mumbai on Friday. The neutral venues will be shortlisted by the ground and pitches committee, based on the performance of pitches in the league stage.In the previous season, three of the four quarter-finals and a semi-final were played on the home turf of one of the competing teams due to the home-and-away policy. Earlier, in 2007-08 and 2008-09, the BCCI had implemented the concept of staging knockout games at neutral venues. However, it reverted to the home-and-away format after Sachin Tendulkar expressed that home advantage should be enjoyed in the Ranji Trophy knockouts.The tour, programme and fixtures committee meeting, which was chaired by Rajiv Shukla via videoconferencing, also finalised the domestic season schedule. As per the technical committee’s recommendation of playing the one-day tournaments before the Ranji Trophy, keeping the World Cup in mind, the inter-state and zonal one-day tournaments will be played in November and December.The domestic season will kick off with the zonal first-class tournament, the Duleep Trophy, which will be played from October 15 to November 3, while the zonal one-dayers – the Deodhar Trophy – will be played from November 7 to 14. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, the all-India one-day knockouts, will be staged from November 19 to 25.The Ranji Trophy, which used to begin in the last week of October ever since the multi-tiered system was introduced, will now start on December 7. The Ranji final will be from March 8 to 12, which will effectively clash with the 2015 World Cup.Despite the BCCI deciding to defer the Corporate Trophy and the Challenger Series, the board has not been able to space out the Ranji Trophy league matches properly. While the first five rounds of the league stage will have only three days between matches, the last three games will be played with a four-day break between them.

If the knowledge that the No.1 ranked Test team are roaming through their backyard like a bear on the loose was not enough to intimidate Zimbabwe, then South Africa’s warning that they will not allow their neighbours any breathing room will. On arrival Hashim Amla promised South Africa will “will try and play the game as intensely as we play every Test”, and after the squad’s first full training session on Thursday, JP Duminy seconded that strongly.”It’s another Test match and we will prepare the same way we do for any Test match,” Duminy said. “There’s probably more emphasis for this Test match because the pressure will be on us to put in a big performance. And I know we are up for the challenge. It’s a representative game for your country and you have to take it seriously.”It’s difficult to believe South Africa, fresh off the back of a series win in Sri Lanka, regard a one-off match against a team that has not played a Test in a year as a challenge but they do, albeit of a different sort. It’s a challenge against themselves; a challenge to not be complacent and a challenge of circumstance rather than a challenge in contest.South Africa know the real danger is not so much whether Zimbabwe can put up a fight but underestimating their ability to do that. That, along with the frustrations of experiencing life from the have-nots’ perspective, is what South Africa see as the main speed-bumps they need to sail over in the next week. “The first thing we spoke about in our team meeting yesterday was to be wary of those kinds of things and not to take anything for granted,” Duminy said.”We are going to face challenges being here. Things don’t go your way in the hotel or whatever – lifts don’t work, as happened yesterday, but those are just challenges you have to face. To stay on top as the No. 1 ranked team you have to make sure you deal with those situations and respect every team that you play against. We respect Zimbabwe and we are by no means are we taking this game lightly. It’s an international game and once you take your foot off the gas, Mother Cricket finds you out quickly.”Clinical execution has been South Africa’s mantra since they first curled their fingers around the mace two years ago. Their home summer which followed their ascendance had them deal with an underfiring New Zealand and Pakistan with surgical efficiency. South Africa won all five matches and ensured none of them latest five days.Although their recent blockathon at the SSC led to accusations they were veering towards reluctance to move matches forward, that approach was taken with the series outcome and the ranking in mind, and with both those secured, the expectation remains that this Test will not go the distance. A brief glance at one of the two pitches under consideration for the game will only raise those suspicions. Pitch No. 4 continues to sport a healthy green tinge and word from insiders is that Zimbabwe’s coach Stephen Mangongo was in favour of a spicy track, even against the best attack going around.He is not entirely alone in that bravado. At least one of his chargers shares his confidence and was not afraid to show it. When India tumbled to 8 for 4 on a lively surface in Manchester, a member Zimbabwe’s 25-man training squad watched wide-eyed from the Harare Sports Club’s Centurion pub. “What’s going on here?” he asked, before mischievously adding, “Maybe that’s what South Africa will be on Saturday. But they’ll be five down.”As for the rest, they seem to concur that the first morning will provide something for the quicks but they are worried about what that might mean if they bat first.At least two Zimbabwean batsmen have asked whether Dale Steyn will play in the Test or if he will be rested. Their questions have both excitement and fear as companions as they contemplate coming up against the man hailed as the best around.It will come as unwelcome news to them that indications are Steyn is unlikely to sit out. “In Test cricket, you want to keep as close as possible to the same team,” Duminy said. “You want to build momentum, especially with not playing as many Test matches this season as we normally would.”Other signs from South Africa’s practice was that the same XI that did duty across both Tests in Sri Lanka will do so in Harare. The reserves, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Piedt, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell, did what reserves do. They batted last, they bowled after the first-choice players, and unless there is an injury or major change in thinking, they will probably carry the drinks.The opportunity to blood new talent is being benched in favour of consistency in a lean schedule, so Zimbabwe will know they will be up against it for as long as South Africa do not get too comfortable with the favourites tag. So far, they are being careful to handle their status with care and dismissed talks of a walkover as being nothing more than a fantasy they will not entertain.”We are not trying to win this game in three days. If we can win on the last session of the last day it will be a job well done,” Duminy said. Funnily enough, Zimbabwe will think exactly the same thing.

Kent County Cricket Club today announced that David Fulton will captain the County in 2003. Fulton shared the captaincy role with Matthew Fleming during the 2002 season but will captain the Club in all forms of cricket next season.Commenting on his appointment Fulton said:”I am delighted to take on full responsibility for captaining Kent in all forms of cricket in 2003. I learned a great deal from Matthew Fleming last season and our partnership worked well. I now look forward to leading the Club in all competitions. We have an excellent squad of players and I am sure we can do well next season.”More good news today for Kent came with the announcement that Martin Saggers has been selected to play for England in the Hong Kong Sixes on 2/3 November. Saggers recently signed a new long-term contract with the Club and was the Country’s leading wicket taker in 2002. He has claimed over 200 first class wickets in the last three seasons. David Graveney will manage the team which is to be captained by Glamorgan’s Matthew Maynard. The rest of the team consists of: Glen Chapple (Lancashire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Adam Hollioake (Surrey), Ronnie Irani (Essex) and Chris Silverwood (Yorkshire).The Club also announced today that Peter Trego, the 22 year old Somerset all rounder, will be joining Kent on a two year contract. Trego, who has been with Somerset for the last three seasons played for England at under 19 level in 2000 and hit his highest first class score this summer ~ 140 for Somerset against West Indies A.Commenting on both developments, newly appointed Captain, David Fulton said:”I am thrilled that Martin has been selected for the Hong Kong trip. It’s good news for Kent that he has committed his long-term future to the Club and I am sure that it will not be long before his achievements of the last three seasons earn him full honours at International level.Peter Trego joins Kent at an exciting time. I have played against him on a few occasions and he has shown himself to be a talented and competitive cricketer. I am sure we will be able to give him the opportunity to make the most of his undoubted talent.”

After staying in their London hotel overnight, the Somerset players set off at 11am this morning to make the long journey north to Scarborough in preparation for their third round Cheltenham and Gloucester match against the Yorkshire Board XI tomorrow.After their disappointing one day form so far this season Somerset coach Kevin Shine is not taking the opposition lightly.He told me earlier: "This is a tricky tie for us with a long drive to get there. We will be playing against a team of club cricketer’s who will be of a decent quality and who will know their wicket. We will not be underestimating them, that’s for sure."With Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick on test match duty for England the Cidermen have added opening batsman Matt Wood, and the experienced all rounder Graham Rose, both of whom spent Monday at a rainy Southampton with the Somerset seconds, to the squad to make the journey.In 2001 Somerset faced Cambridgeshire at March at this stage of the competition, and after a couple of early scares they progressed to the next round thanks to a century from Mark Lathwell, and four wickets from Jamie Grove, neither of whom are with the club this season.Assuming that the Cidermen beat the Yorkshire Board XI today and Hampshire dispose of the Kent Board at Folkestone the pair will meet at Taunton in the next round on June 18th or 19th.

• Murali Kartik,the slow left-arm bowler from Railways,became the 144th player to represent India in an ODI.
• The four wickets that Ajit Agarkar’s claimed in the Hyderabadon Saturday has made him India’s highest wicket-taker againstZimbabwe – he now has 35 wickets from 21 ODIs against thevisitors. He went past fellow teammate Anil Kumble’s aggregate of32 from 20 matches.
• The four-wicket haul was Agarkar’s sixth in his 91st onedayer and this puts him on par with Manoj Prabhakar. Now onlyAnil Kumble (nine) and Javagal Srinath (seven) have taken morefour-wicket hauls than Agarkar.
• Grant Flower by making 44 in the Hyderabad one-dayer hasexactly 1000 runs to his name in one-dayers against India. He wasplaying his 32nd innings in his 32nd match against the Indians.Grant became the third Zimbabwean after Alistair Campbell (1188in 36 matches) and brother Andy (1130 in 33 matches) and the 19thbatsman overall to do so. Incidentally, Pakistan’s Saeed Anwarholds the record of aggregating most runs in a career againstIndia; he has made 1901 runs from 49 matches.
• The fourth wicket partnership of 76 between Rahul Dravid andMohammad Kaif was India’s best for this wicket against Zimbabwein a floodlit match. This expunged the previous best of 70between Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin at the Centurionon February 7,1997.
• The fifth wicket partnership of 94 between Mohammad Kaif andYuvraj Singh was India’s best for this wicket against Zimbabwe inall matches. This obliterated the previous record unbrokenpartnership of 84 between Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh at Benonion February 9, 1997. Incidentally, India’s previous highest fifthwicket partnership in a floodlit match against Zimbabwe was apaltry 42 between Rahul Dravid and Robin Singh at Sharjah onOctober 22, 2000.
• Yuvraj Singh’s innings of 80* was the second highest by anyIndian at number six in a floodlit match – Ajay Jadeja’s 119 atColombo RPS on August 17, 1997 still remains the best.
• The win was India’s 50th in a floodlit match.
• The Man of the Match award was Yuvraj Singh’s third in his29th match.

Daryl Tuffey cleaned up Raymond Price (11) in the final over of the match to end an enterprising 40-run last wicket partnership between Price and Douglas Hondo (29*) which had threatened New Zealand in the warm up game at Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo on Thursday.In the morning New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. Skipper Stephen Fleming opened the innings with Nathan Astle, and struggled to score freely against the likes of Heath Streak and Douglas Hondo on a track with a bit of uneven bounce. Fleming made just five off 22 balls and edged one to Andy Flower behind the wicket off the bowling of Heath Streak.Nathan Astle looked good for a big score, striking four boundaries in making 23 off 28 balls, before being caught behind off the young right-arm medium pacer Sean Ervine. Lou Vincent gave good support to Matthew Sinclair as the two put together 82 valuable runs for the third wicket. Sinclair was more adventurous, not missing out on a scoring opportunity.Vincent did not hit a boundary in his 21 off 60 balls, and was stumped by Andy Flower off Douglas Marillier. Sinclair, who had gone past his half century by then, was joined by Scott Styris.Sinclair completed a fine hundred, finishing with 108 off 112 balls with the help of a six and eleven fours. His was the fourth wicket to fall, bowled by Douglas Marillier with New Zealand on 192. Styris scored freely and made 49 off 56 balls before he was bowled by Ervine.Glenn Sulzberger threw his bat at the end to score 30 off just 14 balls to take New Zealand to 262/7 off their alloted 50 overs. Ervine was the most successful of the Zimbabwe bowlers, picking up 3/44.Zimbabwe lost opener Alistair Campbell (8 off 24 balls) early in their run chase. Marillier, in his new role of opening batsman, improvised to score 37 off 42 balls with the help of half a dozen boundaries. Marillier was finally run out and that started a major slide for the Zimbabweans.With Dion Ebrahim standing firm at one end, they lost four wickets wickets for just 14 runs. Grant Flower (4) and Andy Flower for a golden duck were removed by Jacob Oram. Guy Whittall and Ebrahim then scored runs with ease to add 64 for the sixth wicket.Zimbabwe lost Ebrahim (62 off 87 balls), Ervin (8 off 7), Whittall (66 off 65) and Heath Streak (15 off 24) were all gone and Zimbabwe were in a hopeless situation at 214/9. It was then that Hondo and Price put together their brilliant last wicket partnership.

Test pacer Darren Powell picked up three wickets as West Indies A recorded a comprehensive victory in their tour match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.The Jamaican quick returned figures of 3/55, with Tino Best collecting 2/40 and Ryan Hinds 2/47 in a professional performance. Mark Wagh’s accomplished 86 was the highlight of a disappointing Warwickshire effort.Despite Wagh’s knock, and cavalier efforts from Dominic Ostler and Dougie Brown, Warwickshire were never realistically in the victory hunt. Theyeventually succumbed at 6pm, losing by 120 runs. James Spires and AlexanderAllen battled hard at the death, before Hinds trapped Spires leg before justas time was running out.Set 371 to record an unlikely victory, Warwickshire lost wickets steadilythroughout the day. First to go was skipper Michael Powell, trapped leg-before to an in-ducker from his West Indian namesake. Jim Troughton, a young batsman whose free-flowing game has attracted much attention, hit a couple of pleasing boundaries before he snicked Powell through to keeper Lendl Simmons.Dominic Ostler, clearly thinking the win was a possibility, however remote, set about the bowling with ferocity. He blasted seven fours in 22 balls, Marlon Black proving particularly expensive. On 31, going for one big shot too many, Ostler played around a straight one from Best.Dougie Brown, who hit an expansive 65 in the first innings, batted with similar vigour in the second. With the elegant support of Wagh, Brown saw the innings through to lunch. He hit four boundaries in his 35, only to be grabbed close in by Daren Ganga to give Ryan Hinds a wicket.Graham Wagg had his stumps uprooted by Powell soon after, while Mohamed Sheikh latched onto some loose deliveries to make 16. Best accounted for the all-rounder though, hitting the stumps for a second time.Wagh, having survived hostile spells from Best and Powell, fell victim to Gareth Breese’s off-spin. Wagh, who captained Oxford University in 1997,showed his class throughout his four-hour knock. Shortly after he struck his14th crisp boundary, he was adjudged lbw to Breese.Nick Warren and Alan Richardson went early, leaving too much for the pluckylast wicket pair of Allen and Spires.Earlier, West Indies A had looked for quick runs. Breese, along with Dwayne Bravo, did not disappoint, extending their partnership to 65 before Ganga called his men in. Breese remained unbeaten on 54 (eight fours, one six) while Bravo’s run-a-ball 37 included five boundaries.

Somerset took another step nearer to recording a much-needed championship victory and some more valuable points in their fight to stave off relegation when they had the best of the third day’s play against Warwickshire at Taunton today.Resuming on 35 without loss this morning the Somerset openers Jamie Cox and Matt Wood took the score onto 96, before Cox edged a ball from Neil Carter to wicket-keeper Ian Clifford who took the catch to send the captain on his way back to the pavilion for 44.Mike Burns joined Wood, and by lunchtime the score had moved onto 186 for one. The scene looked set for a very large Somerset total, and discussions were taking place around the boundary edge as to what time a declaration might be made.But true to the game of cricket nothing can be taken for granted, and in eleven overs immediately after lunch Shane Bond produced a spell that might have changed the balance of this game.The New Zealander, who was making the last of this three county championship appearances for Warwickshire claimed the wickets of Wood for 68, to put an end to the second wicket partnership of 98, Burns for 80, Keith Parsons for no score and Peter Bowler for 12 to reduce the Cidermen to 238 for 5.The demise of Bowler brought Ian Blackwell striding to the wicket. He quickly got into his stride and together with Rob Turner the sixth-wicket pair stopped the temporary decline.Blackwell hit one memorable six early on in his stay at the wicket off Michael Powell over the Stragglers Bar that sent umpire Barry Dudleston scurrying back to the boundary edge to find a replacement ball.The left-hander brought up the fifty partnership and shortly after the Somerset 300, much to the delight of the good-sized crowd.He passed his own 50, which came off 58 balls and then brought up the hundred partnership in the same over. Off the first ball of the next over he smote another gigantic six, again off the unlucky Powell and by tea he had moved his own score on to 66 and Somerset onto 351 for 5.Shortly after the interval the sixth wicket stand was ended when Turner was out lbw to Carter for 37. Along with Blackwell, the Somerset wicket-keeper had added 119 in 23 overs.Blackwell stayed a little longer until he was bowled Neil Carter going for the big hit for 81. In all he had faced 93 balls, and hit 2 x 6’s and 5 x 4’s.Shortly afterwards Bulbeck was caught by wicket-keeper Clifford for 9 and Somerset were all out for 394, setting their visitors a target of 499 for victory, off a minimum of 115 overs.By the close of play on the third day Warwickshire had moved on to 42 for the loss of skipper Michael Powell.Tomorrow at the County Ground could prove to be a very interesting day, with both sides keen to get a result.At the end of the day Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: “The way that we have played today has put us in a strong position for 20 points. On a good wicket we have bowled aggressively at them tonight and hit them hard which is what we need to do again in the morning.”He continued: “The scoreboard pressure that we posted will help us, and that was due to some good performances with the bat. Mike Burns got the momentum going for us, Matt Wood played a good innings, Jamie Cox showed that he is coming back to form and Ian Blackwell played another good innings. It was a good all round performance from us today.”

For once Pakistan did chase well, despite a rather nightmarish start. And that they made a sizeable target of 278 must give them loads of confidence. They had prevailed, by three wickets and nearly three overs to spare, because of some resolute, methodical batting, which made up for some sloppy bowling and fielding early in the afternoon. This time there was no crumblingunder the pressure of runs; this was Pakistan’s second highest successful chase and the victory gave them unassailable lead in the three-match series.Abdul Razzaq made his highest score (86, off 84 deliveries, 10 fours, 1 six), Younis Khan (70, off 92 balls, 7 fours) his third successive score of 50-plus, Shahid Afridi (40, 37 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) combined caution and belligerence. They all made major contributions, and when three wickets fell, quite needlessly more or less in a bunch, nearer the close, Rashid Latif (28, off 25 deliveries) kept his head about him and produced the little cameo to deliver the victory.Pakistan was off to a really bad start, with Imran Nazir gone first ball, Daryl Tuffey finding him plumb in front. And seven deliveries later Yousuf Youhana, the man who had scored two glorious back to back hundreds which played such a key role in Pakistan’s wins. But then two stands of well over 50-plus brought Pakistan right back into the game. And with Razzaq going great guns Pakistan got near the target, and Latif was not going to give it away from this close.Younis scored his third score of more than 50, and partnered in two big stands, the first of 73 with Afridi and then another one worth 93 with Razzaq. From here on Razzaq took over and led in two partnerships of 46 and 34 with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram.Afridi played a mature little knock, mixing aggression and sensible defence, but as is his wont, overdid the aggression bit in trying to sweep Scott Styris once too often to get himself leg before.From then on it was Younis and Razzaq, promoted in the batting order, who held the fort by rotating the strike skillfully and playing attacking strokes in equal measure to stay abreast of the asking rate. The two between them had set the stage for a final assault on the target, when Younis fell. This would have been a real setback had Razzaq not been at his fluent-best. And he staved off any ideas that the Kiwis may have harboured of a comeback. And by the time, Razzaq was dismissed, having clouted Tuffey for a six and a four in the previous over, the victory was pretty much in Pakistan’s sights.Black Caps put up an imposing total:
Earlier, the Black Caps seemed to have learnt a thing or two from their trial at Karachi. Once Fleming won the toss and elected to bat, the accent throughout was on preservation of wickets, on cutting out the element of risk, and on rotation of strike. As a result, they put on 277 for the loss of five wickets. A commendable comeback after the previous defeats in Karachi and Sharjah.Even without Nathan Astle, out of the series because of a knee injury, the Kiwi openers got off to a decent start, seeing off the spearheads of Pakistan attack, Akram and Younis. Akram though had cause to be aggrieved as he induced an edge from Chris Nevin on a slower delivery only to see the ball fall disappointingly short of ‘keeper Rashid Latif.Akram, having conceded 22 runs in his first spell of four overs, was taken off early and Abdul Razzaq was introduced in his place. Nevin impudently lofted him over extra cover for a four. The very next delivery, Razzaq bowled him neck and crop with a peach of a delivery that cut back to knock off Nevin’s (23 runs, 26 balls, 3 fours) off and middle stump.The fall of Nevin slowed down the scoring, but Black Caps having posted the 50 (off 70 deliveries in 11.4 overs), went about the task of consolidating a good start in the middle overs. They added 78 runs between overs 16 to 30, losing just one more wicket, that of Mathew Horne (62, off 92 balls with the help of 7 fours).Craig McMillan, the man who started the slide with an injudicious shot against Akhtar at Karachi, rose to the occasion, with an outstanding innings. In the process, he posted his second limited-overs hundred, and his career’s best, 105 off just 116 deliveries with the help of 8 fours and 1 six, imperiously hooking Shoaib Akhtar over deep square leg fence.And more importantly, McMillan held the Black Caps innings together, staying in the middle till the very fag end and only being dismissed going after Younis with only four deliveries remaining. And in two major partnerships with Mathew Horne and Andre Adams, worth 96 and 92 runs respectively, he put his team in a strong position.The Black Caps nemesis, Shoaib Akhtar, not just remained wicketless today but also conceded 51 runs to boot.After having consolidated the innings in association with Horne in the middle overs, McMillan and Andre Adams, promoted in the batting order by skipper Stephen Fleming, took the fight to Pakistan bowlers in an eye-catching stand for the third wicket. Adams made his intentions clear from the word go, by cutting Afridi to point for four and then driving Akhtar to midwicket foranother boundary.McMillan posted his individual 50 (70 balls, 4 fours) and cut loose immediately, by hooking Akhtar’s leg-side bouncer over square leg fence. From the other end, Adams punched Saqlain to the cover boundary and followed it up with a ferocious drive off Akram to long-on fence. Such was the sway McMillan and Adams held that the fourth 50 was raised, to take the Kiwis to 200,off mere 38 balls.Waqar made some desperate bowling changes, bringing on one wicket-taking bowler after another, but to no avail. He took himself off to bring on Akhtar, and Adams drove him to mid-wicket fence, and McMillan took two fours off Razzaq next over.Finally, Akram, in his third spell, delivered Adams’ wicket. Bowling round the wicket, he got through Adams (45 off 45 balls, 6 fours) defences to rattle his middle and leg stump. But 232 for three, in the 44th over the damage had already been done as with plenty of wickets in hand, the Kiwis seemed well set to a big total.Waqar got Oram and McMillan in the 48th and 50th overs, but not before McMillan had posted a magnificent hundred. Imposing total indeed, but in the end, the self-belief and the confidence level of the Pakistanis was too high to be overawed by it.Abdul Razzaq was named the Man of the Match and the teams will be heading to Lahore for the final one-dayer followed by the first Test.

A brilliant century from opening batsman Akash Chopra (109 off 132 balls) took India A to a convincing five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka A in the deciding fifth one-day match played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, on Thursday. India A thereby won the five-match series 2-1, after rain had washed out the first two encounters.In the morning, Sri Lanka A elected to bat first but found the going tough against a resilient visiting side. Most of their batsmen got to double figures yet failed to convert those into even a fifty. Only Romesh Kaluwitharana (34 off 43 balls) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (47 off 79 balls) made mentionable contributions.A late flourish from Chamara Silva (29 off 24 balls) and Akalanka Ganegama (16* off 18 balls) however helped Sri Lanka A post 223/8 in 50 overs. Lakshmipathy Balaji and Irfan Pathan Jr picked up two wickets each. Earlier, Sarandeep Singh (7-0-27-1) had applied the screws in the middle overs of the Sri Lanka A innings.Chasing a modest target of 224 in 50 overs, India A were never in trouble and emerged victorious with 2.2 overs to spare. Chopra, a 24-year-old right-handed batsman from Delhi, applied himself to the task admirably, striking eight boundaries while compiling a match-winning hundred.India A lost the wicket of Gautam Gambhir (5), early in their run chase. Skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar (24) and Rohan Gavaskar (16) could not capitalise on their good starts and India A were 98/3 in the 29th over.Chopra then found an ally in Jai P Yadav with whom he added 116 runs for the fourth wicket in just 16.5 overs. The partnership all but took the match away from the home team. Yadav made a whirlwind 55 off just 52 balls, striking three boundaries and a six.Even though India A lost the wickets of Yadav and Chopra with just a few runs needed to seal the win, Parthiv Patel (3*) and Sridharan Sriram (1*) ensured the emphatic victory.