Sunil Ramesh slammed a superb 93 as India defeated arch rivals Pakistan by two wickets in a thrilling summit clash to retain the Blind Cricket World Cup title here today.
Batting first, Pakistan amassed 308 runs, courtesy some useful contributions from Badar Munir (57), Riasat Khan (48) and captain Nisar Ali (47).
Ramesh then led the run chase as the Indians overhauled the target with eight balls to spare to retain the trophy that they had won in 2014 after beating the same opponents at Cape Town, South Africa.
India struggled in the final stages of their innings as Pakistan claimed three quick wickets to gain an upper hand.
However, a wide delivery rolled on to the boundary and the pendulum swung back in India’s favour.
India had beaten Pakistan on January 13 in the group stage. The defending champion had beaten Bangladesh by seven wickets in the semifinals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded the team for the achievement. “Congratulations to our cricket team for winning the 2018 Blind Cricket World Cup! They make the nation proud and inspire every Indian with their game as well as phenomenal attitude. True champions!,” Modi wrote on his twitter handle.
Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also heaped praise on the team. “What a win by #TeamIndia. Congratulations on winning #BlindCricketWorldCup,” he wrote.
