BHUBANESWAR 08-May-2016
Odisha emerged champions in the National Cricket Tournament for the Blind, edging out Gujarat in the truncated final by seven wickets at Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad today. The 20-over match was reduced to five overs as rain played spoil sport. Odisha clinched victory in the last ball.
Sukhram Majhi starred in the triumph, hitting 17-ball 34. He was adjudged man of the match. His team-mate Pankaj Bhue pocketed the prize as man of the tournament in b2 category. Odisha reached the final in style, trouncing Karnataka in the semifinal by 69 runs.
Earlier, Odisha posted back-to-back wins, hammering Uttar Pradesh by nine wickets and Rajasthan by 74 runs. In their third and last group league match, which was completely washed out, Odisha split points with Andhra Pradesh.
ODISHA TEAM: Mohammad Jafar Iqbal (Captain), Kalia Pradhan, Pankaj Mangal, Gunanidhi Singh, Debaraj Behera, Lingaraj Routray, Nakula Badanayak, Jujhar Bari, Singarai Majhi, Pankaj Bhue, Biswanath Khara, Lal Prasad Soren, Sukhadev Soren, Raghuram Nayak, Jogendra Jani. Coach: Chandrasekhar Pattnaik.
ODISHA RESULTS:
May 4: Uttar Pradesh 95/10 in 15.5 overs (Jafar Iqbal 2 wkts, Gunanidhi Singh 2 wkts) lost to Odisha 96/1in 8.3 overs (Nakula Badanayak 37*, Pankaj Bhue 37) by 9 wkts.
May 5: Odisha 159/0 in 12 overs (Pankaj Bhue 78*, Nakula Badanayak 58*) beat Rajasthan 85/5 in 12 overs (Pankaj Bhue 2 wkts) by 74 runs.
May 7 (SF): Odisha 214/0 in 20 overs (Pankaj Bhue 112*, Sukhram Majhi 85*) beat Karnataka 145/7 in 20 overs (Lingraj Routra, Kalia Pradhan and Gananidhi Singh 3 wkts each) by 69 runs.
May 8 (Final): Gujarat 53/6 in 5 overs (Lal Prasad Soren 2 wkts) lost to Odisha 54/3 in 5 overs (Sukhram Majhi 34) by 7 wkts.
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PHOTO: Players of champion Odisha team pose with trophies in Hyderabad on May 8, 2016.
