Karnataka Puts Up A Tough Fight In National Blind Cricket Finals

New Delhi, November 25, 2021: Karnataka puts up a tough fight in the Finals of the 4th IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2021-22, in the match between Andhra Pradesh vs Karnataka that concluded on Thursday at Sri Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi.
 
In the Title clash between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Karnataka won the toss and decided to Bowl. Andhra Pradesh put up a strong 231 for 3 in 20 overs. Karnataka made a competitive chase and reached 204 for the loss of 3 wickets, falling short of the target by only 27 Runs.
 
Prakash Jayaramaiah who was the highest scorer for Karnataka with 119 Runs off 58 balls with an outstanding SL 205.17. Jayaramaiah has left everyone stunned with his performance by hitting back-to-back centuries in the league matches all the way up till the finals.
 
Chief Guest Meenakshi Lekhi, Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs of India while applauding the spirit of the players said, “I am amazed at the felicitous co-ordination of the organisers, sponsors, DDCA, British & Australian High Commissions and supporters for their generosity and firm belief in the spirit of our wonderful players. I extend my best wishes to the contending teams. I can be very judicious in my assessment without taking sides. I am excited about the Women’s Blind National Cricket Tournament due to be held in Bangalore next year. Our government has been putting in tremendous efforts to bring in the gender parity.”
 
This was the second time for team Karnataka to make their entry to the finals of the tournament since its inception in 2019. Whereas team Andhra Pradesh had reached the finals for the fourth time straight in a row.
 
CAB Andhra Pradesh won all its five league matches and remained at the top of the chart. CAB Karnataka won consistently 4 out of the 5 league matches and stayed ahead of the game.
 
The Cricket tournament was organised by The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in association with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. India currently holds the Blind Cricket World Cup T20 trophy, won in 2018.
 
This tournament will help in selecting key players for the upcoming International Championships. Overall, 56 probable players will be shortlisted. 17 players will be finalised for the world cup squad and will represent India in T20 World Cup.
 
400 visually impaired players converged on 6 Grounds in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi to play an overall of 67 T20 matches between 16th – 25th November 2021