08 August,2009 08:38 AM IST | | Correspondent
Ever since the inception of Maccabiah Games, a quadrennial extravaganza that brings together Jewish athletes across the glove, in 1920, for the first time Indian cricketers tasted grand success as they returned from the Games, held in Israel recently, with a silver medal.
The Indian team, led by former Railways cricketers Swapnil Penkar, lost to South Africa in a thrilling final.
Bensiyon Songavkar, Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy player, emerged as the st ar of the tournament as he averaged 57 runs an innings in the five matches and also bagged eight wickets. As a result, Songavkar was adjudged the Man of the Series for his all-round effort.