New Delhi, March 15 (IANS): Nakula Badanayak slammed 70 runs in 39 balls as the Indian men's team thrashed Sri Lanka by 90 runs in the fifth and final T20 of the Samarth Championship for Blind Cricket, an International bilateral blind men’s cricket series, at the Karnail Singh Stadium, here on Friday.
Batting first, India made 227/5 on the back of a combined batting effort from the team. Nakula, Gudadappa, T, Durga Rao all contributed with the bat. Sri Lanka were then restricted to 137/7 in 20 overs as Durga Rao, Nilesh Yadav, and Sanjay Kumar Shah picked a wicket each. Nakula was named as the Player of the Match.
With this win on Friday, India won 5-0 the Samarth Championship for Blind Cricket, an International bilateral blind men’s cricket series. India not only won all five matches but dominated the Sri Lanka side.
Opting to bat first, India got off to a great start, scoring 60 runs in 5 overs. Nakula slammed nine fours and took India's score to 140/2 in the 13th over, stitching an 80-run partnership. Gudadappa and Durag Rao then carried India's innings scoring 40 and 49 runs respectively. India scored 227/5 in the allotted 20 overs. The last three wickets that India lost were all run-outs.
Chasing 228, Sri Lanka suffered an early blow as they lost the opening batter in the second over. Chandana Deshapriya took the score to 45/2 before getting out in the sixth over. Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were not able to form any fruitful partnerships. In the end, Sri Lanka were restricted to 137/7, thereby losing the match by 90 runs.
The closing ceremony was held with the presence of eminent personalities. Meenakshi Lekhi, legendry cricketer Madan Lal Sharma, former India cricketer Praveen Kumar, Dr Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar, Chairman, Cricket Association for the Blind in India and Mr Shailender Yadav, General Secretary, CABI.
The Player of the Series award was shared by three players from the respective category. Ajay Kumar Reddy from the B1 category, Nakula Badanayak from the B2 category and Chandana Desapriya of Sri Lanka from B3 were awarded with the trophy and INR 15,000 cash prize. The winners received INR 1,50,000 as the cash prize along with the trophy while runners-up were awarded INR 80,000.
Organized by the Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) in collaboration with the 'Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled' and the 'Cricket Association for the Blind in India' (CABI), the series aimed not only to showcase the incredible talent of visually impaired cricketers but also to raise awareness and promote inclusivity for people with disabilities.