World Cup for blind: India defeats Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in opening match

Dubai, January 11: Defending champion India registered a commanding victory over Sri Lanka by six wickets in their opening match of the ODI Blind Cricket World Cup in the UAE on Wednesday. Haryana boy Deepak Malik scored an unbeaten 179 off 103 balls to lead Indian cricket team to register the massive win over Sri Lanka in the opener.

 

India won the toss and elected to field first. Sri Lankan batsmen ramped up Indian bowlers and set the target of 358 with the loss of eight wickets in 40 overs. For Sri Lanka, Suranga Sampath scored 68 runs and KA Silva 64. At the end of 15 overs, Sri Lanka was going along nicely and had reached 121 for the loss of one wicket. Indian bowler Sunil Ramesh took three wickets in his six overs.

In reply, Indian batsmen gave a sparkling start to the innings and chased the target in 32 overs with the loss of four wickets. Skipper Ajay Reddy scored nine runs and Prakash Jayaramiah scored 76. Malik was named Man of the Match.

Importantly, India’s blind cricket team is two-time World Cup champions, 2014 ODI World Cup and 2016 Asia Cup winners. Interestingly, unlike its counterparts in Pakistan, England and Australia, the blind cricket team in cricket-crazy India is not affiliated to the national cricket governing body, the BCCI. Instead, it is administered by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI).