Watch: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi touches Sri Lanka's first ODI captain Anura Tennekoon's feet in a heartwarming gesture

Young India A batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared a heartwarming moment with former Sri Lanka captain Anura Tennekoon at the end of India's nail-biting loss to Sri Lanka A in the Tri-Nation A Series 2026 at Dambulla.

Despite the disappointment of the Super Over loss and the controversy that followed the match, Sooryavanshi showed great respect by touching Tennekoon's feet before receiving a warm hug and valuable advice from the Sri Lankan cricket legend.

Beyond cricket — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's respectful gesture towards Sri Lanka's first ODI captain Anura Tennekoon is pure class

After the match, Sri Lanka's first ODI captain Anura Tennekoon waited near the Indian dressing room for almost an hour to meet the 15-year-old batter. When Sooryavanshi finally arrived, he greeted the former Sri Lanka captain by touching his feet, a gesture that won praise from fans.

The two then shared a brief conversation, during which Tennekoon offered some important advice to the youngster. "You focus on your game and cut out the outside noise," Tennekoon told him.

Tennekoon also revealed that he had closely followed Sooryavanshi's performances during IPL 2026 and was highly impressed with his batting. "I was really impressed by his batting in the IPL. And hitting those sixes and fours the way he does is something unbelievable. I hope he continues in this way," Tennekoon said.

Watch the video here

See Also: Watch: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi & Sri Lanka-A players in heated spat — SL-A vs IND-A Tri-Series 2026

Sooryavanshi entered the India A squad after a sensational IPL 2026 season, where he scored 776 runs and won five individual awards. However, the youngster has found runs hard to come by in Sri Lanka, scoring 14, 44 and 21 in his three innings so far.

The meeting came just a day after Sooryavanshi was involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lankan players following India's defeat, making the respectful gesture even more special.

Sri Lanka A beat India A in super over thriller after match ends in dramatic tie — Tri-Nation A series 2026

The match between India A and Sri Lanka A at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the tournament.

Batting first, India A were in trouble at 148/7 before Suryansh Shedge and Vipraj Nigam rescued the innings with a brilliant 104-run partnership. Shedge scored 72 off 66 balls, while Nigam added 51 from 49 deliveries to help India A post 265 runs.

Sri Lanka A looked set for a comfortable win with Sadeera Samarawickrama's brilliant 93. However, India A's bowler Arshad Khan bowled a brilliant last over and gave up just four runs in the span when the hosts required five runs to win, taking the game into the Super Over.

The Super Over brought further drama. Sri Lanka A scored 16 runs, helped by Avishka Fernando's six and a controversial no-ball decision on the final delivery. The decision frustrated India A captain Tilak Varma, who later spoke with the match officials.

See Also: Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi be banned after fight with Sri Lanka A players in Tri Series 2026?

Chasing 17 runs for victory, India A sent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge to open the Super Over. However, Sri Lanka A bowler Kugathas Mathulan held his nerve and India A was limited to 11 runs, sealing a memorable victory for the hosts. 

The outcome was also revenge for Sri Lanka A, who had lost to India A by eight runs in the tournament earlier. India A will now aim to bounce back as they take on Afghanistan A in their last league match on 17 June.