New Delhi: Nakula Badanayak slammed 70 runs in 39 balls as Indian men’s blind cricket 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 here on Friday in Karnail Singh Stadium, DSamarth elhi.
India beat Sri Lanka, win Samarth Championship for Blind Cricket 5-0 series, organized by ‘Cricket Association for the Blind in India’ and ‘Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’ (HMIF’s NGO partner for the ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative)
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 as Durga Rao, Nilesh Yadav, Sanjay Kumar Shah picked a wicket each. Nakula was named as the Player of the Match.
With this win on Friday, India have won the Samarth Championship for Blind Cricket, an International bilateral blind men’s cricket series 5-0. 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. 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.
India won the Samarth Championship for Blind Cricket, an International bilateral blind men’s cricket series 5-0. India completely dominated the Sri Lanka side in the series.
The closing ceremony was held with the presence of eminent personalities. Meenakshi Lekhi, Madan Lal Sharma – Legendry Cricketer, Praveen Kumar – Former Indian Cricketer, Dr Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar – Chairman, Cricket Association for the Blind in India and Shailender Yadav – General Secretary CABI.
Dr Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar appreciated the efforts of ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative and thanked the entire Hyundai family for supporting Cricket for the Blind.
Speaking on the occasion he said “This is a new beginning with the new initiative and CABI is committed to promote Cricket for the Blind in India and also take the leadership to train and develop the foreign teams to promote cricket for the blind”.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Un Soo Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, “At Hyundai Motor India, we have been steadfast in our commitment to the global vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’. Last year we launched ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, with an aim to create a more inclusive society for individuals with disabilities.
The cricket series initiative represents our dedicated efforts to raise awareness and facilitate empowerment for people with disabilities. As cricket is more than mere sports for Indians, it’s a cultural force of unity, therefore we chose blind cricket to further promote societal equality for differently abled people.”
“As we continue to prioritize India’s comprehensive development, our goal remains to support the differently abled individuals, fostering a more compassionate society through our social endeavours. We congratulate the Indian Men’s Blind Cricket Team for such a great performance.”
The Player of series were awarded to 3 players from the respective category. Ajay Kumar Reddy from B1 Category, Nakula Badanayak from B2 Categoty and Chandana Desapriya of Sri Lanka from B3 were awarded with the trophy and INR 15.000/- cash prize. The runners were awarded INR 80,000/- and the winners received INR 150,000/- as the cash prize along with the Trophy.
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.
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