Odisha pip Gujarat to win national blind cricket tourney

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar/Hyderabad, May 8:

Odisha clinched a nail-biting, final ball victory in a rain-reduced match against Gujarat in National Cricket Tournament for Blind held at Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad today to claim their maiden trophy in the history of the T20 tournament.

After winning the toss, Gujarat opted to bat first against Odisha in the rain-affected final match which was reduced to five overs a side.

Put in to bowl, Odisha restricted Gujarat to 53/7. Chasing the modest total, Odisha achieved the target in the last ball of the match. Sukhram Majhi was the star batsman for Odisha who put 34 runs on the board.

Lalprasad Soren was the highest wicket-taker among the bowlers with two wickets in his kitty. Lingraj Routra and Kalia Pradhan shared one wicket each.

Majhi was declared man of the match and Pankaj Bhue was adjudged the man of the series.

Odisha sealed the spot in the final after defeating Karnataka in the semi-final. Odisha had set a target of 214 runs in 20 overs. Pankanj Bhue and Sukhram Majhi piled up the mammoth total without losing any wicket.

In reply, Karnataka batsmen failed to put up a show and fell like a pack of cards. The team scored 145 for 7 in the stipulated overs and Odisha made it to the final by defeating Karnataka by 69 runs.