India’s reply was disastrous; three wickets lost for just 10 runs in the second over itself
Sunil Ramesh
Known to conquer Pakistan in finals, the Indian blind cricket team suffered a reversal in the Triangular Blind Cricket Series final at Sharjah on Saturday. The 58-run loss was India’s first defeat to Pakistan in a decider. Batting first at the Victoria Sports Services ground, Pakistan posted a mammoth 216-3 in the allotted 20 overs. Opener Nisar Ali and all-rounder Badar Muneer smashed 70 and 63 respectively. India’s reply was disastrous; three wickets lost for just 10 runs in the second over itself.
ADVERTISEMENT
Opener Sunil Ramesh fought well to score a 66-ball 92 (10x4, 1x6), but that was not enough as they ended with 158-9 in 20 overs. Pacer Muneer claimed 3-21. “They [Pakistan] were very good in all three departments. We need to learn how to perform under pressure. We must improve our running between wickets and fielding,” said Ramesh, who was adjudged Man of the Series for his 187 runs in the tournament.
Though India outclassed Bangladesh in both league games, the Prakash Jayaramaiah-led side suffered a big losses to Pakistan in their two league matches. Hugely disappointed with the team’s performance, the team’s coach John David urged the players to wake up. “The dissatisfaction is huge. We lost all our matches to Pakistan. We had never lost to Pakistan in earlier finals, but this time, we were lacking in a few departments. It is a wake-up call for the Indian team. We have a T20 World Cup in November in India and they need to raise the bar,” David remarked.
Skipper Jayaramaiah, who scored six and conceded 13 runs in his solitary over, assured a good show next time. “We lost momentum in the last five overs as Pakistan scored 80 runs in 30 balls. We also lost our top three batsmen in the power play. It was a disappointing performance, but we will bounce back with good preparation next time,” said Jayaramaiah.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
