Gujarat beat Andhra Pradesh by 51 runs for their fifth title in a row, in the ONGC All-India Cricket Tournament for the Blind,

 

PHOTO CAPTION:

1. MUMBAI, JAN 14 (GNI): Winners Gujarat receive their trophy from actors of the Marathi film Friends, Swapnil Joshi, Sachin Patil and Gauri, and Ravindra Sapkal, chairman & MD, Sapkal Knowledge Hub, Nashik, Organised by The Blind Welfare Organisation (India), in Mumbai

2. MUMBAI, JAN 14 (GNI): Runners-up Andhra Pradesh receive their trophy from actors of the Marathi film Friends, Swapnil Joshi, Sachin Patil and Gauri, and Ravindra Sapkal, chairman & MD Sapkal Knowledge Hub, Nashik, organised by the Blind Welfare Organisation (India), in Mumba

High 5 for Gujarat

MUMBAI, (GNI), Gujarat beat Andhra Pradesh by 51 runs for their fifth title in a row, in the ONGC All–India Cricket Tournament for the Blind, organized by the Blind Welfare Organisation, Nashik (India), in association with Islam Gymkhana.

Gujarat, who won the toss and elected to bat, recovered from a middle-order collapse to amass 187 for nine in their allotted 15 overs. Man of the series Ganesh Muhundkar scored 45 with significant contributions from Zina Kesre who scored 41 and Subhash Bhoya who hit 22.

AP struggled to reach the stiff target and were restricted to 136 for eight in their allotted 15 overs with only Krishna Tandav top-scoring with 36 runs.

With five internationals in their side, star-studded Gujarat got off to a steady start, scoring 60 for the loss of opener Subhash Bhoya’s wicket in the first five overs. They reached 107 for four in 10 overs, raising fears of a dramatic collapse. Wicktes did fall at regular intervals that included five run-outs but Kesre’s significant contribution of 41 and Bhoya’s 22 at the end salvaged the innings for a respectable total.

AP were 49 for three in six overs and 87 for five in 10, needing 101 to win in the last five overs with a required run rate of 20.2. The 100 for AP came up in the 12th over but with 84 runs required for victory in the last 18 balls, the match had slipped away as Gujarat’s players warmed up for the victory dance.

“We should have crossed the 200 mark,” said Gujarat captain Ganesh Bhusara. “Our openers gave us a good start but we threw away our wickets. AP played under pressure while our bowling and fielding was tight. This helped us win quite comfortably in the end.”

Brief scores: Final: Gujarat 187 for 9 in 15 overs (Ganesh Muhundkar 45, Zina Kesre 41, Subhash Bhoya 22) bt Andhra Pradesh 136 for 8 in 15 overs (Krishna Tandav 36) by 51 runs.

Men of the Series: Ganesh Muhundkar (Guj) & Anish Baig (Mah).