Hemang Badani en route to his unbeaten 85 against Sri Lanka A at Eden Gardens on Friday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: It’s official, India will play the final of the Kenstar Asian A championship on Tuesday.

The hosts crushed Sri Lanka A by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens on Friday thus ensuring a bonus point and securing a place in the title-round.

Chasing 201 for victory, India A notched up the required runs in 39.2 overs, Man of the Match Hemang Badani leading from the front with an unbeaten 85 off 127 balls.

With this win, India have 13 points from three games while Sri Lanka have 10 and Pakistan one. Pakistan will have to win both their matches to keep their hopes alive of making the final.

Friday was a professional allround performance that helped India A turn the tables on a team which had beaten them quite convincingly just a few days back.

The bowlers stuck to a plan and never allowed the Sri Lankans to get away after they won the toss and elected to bat.

However, the decision to bat first looked a little surprising, especially after successfully chasing 300 runs in the earlier two games.

The pitch was doing a little bit in the first hour, and Amit Bhandari and Munaf Patel pitched the ball up trying to extract some movement. Bhandari, who has been bowling consistently in the tournament, was rewarded w hen he induced an edge from S. Kalavitigoda in the first over. Jehan Mubarak was trapped plumb in front by Patel, the score reading two for three in the fourth over.

It became an uphill task for the Lankans from thereon, and when Sanjay Bangar removed skipper Russel Arnold (9) in the 13th over, the islanders were looking down the barrel.

But S. Jayantha (65 off 130 balls) and N. Nawaz (57 off 94 balls) decided to put their heads down and graft for a while. Once they got set, a few big shots were in the offing and it looked as if a total of 250 might just be possible.

The pitch is not looking like the same belter it did in the first two matches. The ball is stopping and turning a bit and once Sairaj Bahutule and Sarandeep Singh came on to bowl, run making started to look a little difficult.

Jayantha, who was playing quite fluently, top-edged a sweep of Bahutule and was snapped up by Dinesh Mongia at deep square leg.

But the one with which Sarandeep removed Nawaz in the 37th over was a beauty. It straightened after pitching on line and the left-hander, playing for the turn, was caught right in front.

Bangar (three for 42) did no harm to his prospects of making the tri-series squad in Australia, picking up two more wickets after coming back for his second spell.

The Lankans kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and the run-rate never got the necessary boost. They also made the cardinal sin of not lasting the 50 overs, thus making things a little easier for the Indians.

India never looked flustered in their run-chase with Gautam Gambhir (51 off 126 balls) carrying on with his consistent run of form.

He put his head down and cut down on his attacking self. Bangar (15) and Mohammed Kaif (0) left in quick succession, but Badani and Yuvarj (33 not out) ensured no further hiccups.

Badani played beautifully, mixing caution with aggression. He stepped out against the spinners and swept well, rendering the Lankan attack ineffective.