India defeat England to win Physical Disability World Cricket Series

India Physically Disabled cricket team defeated hosts England Physically Disabled by 36 runs in the summit clash of the Physical Disability World Cricket Series, organized by England & Wales Cricket Board, at the Blackfinch New Road ground in Worcester.

Riding on significant contributions from hard-hitter Ravindra Sante (53, 34b, 2x4, 4x6), Vikrant Keni (29, 27b), Suganesh Mahindran 33 (11b, 4x4) and all-rounder Kunal Phanase’s 36 (35b, 3x4), the visitors put up a challenging total of 180 runs in 20 overs after skipper Vikrant Keni won the toss and elected to bat first.

Chasing the paramount target, the England batsmen failed to impress as wickets kept tumbling at crucial junctures. The hosts were bundled out for a meager 144 as Indiainflicted a comprehensive 36-run victory to lift the coveted prize.

Kunal Phanase, who also picked two crucial wickets was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his performances with the bat and ball. Phanase was complemented beautifully by Sunny Goyat (2-23) as the duo scripted an illustrious triumph in the brisk-paced T20 format.

Earlier, hot-favorites India had impressively dominated the six-team round-robin league stage, thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan in their final group stage encounter to qualify directly to the final.

The squad, which went on to create history, was picked by the All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC), which organized the selection trials and preparatory camps for the showpiece England event.

The squad was christened with the name 'Wadekar Warriors', in beloved memory of the legendary batsman Ajit Wadekar, former India captain and team manager, who played a dynamic role in operations of the AICAPC.

Brief scores: India 180/7 in 20 overs (Kunal Phanase 36, Vikrant Keni 29, Ravindra Sante 53, Suganesh Mahendran 33, L. O’Brien 2/35) beat England 144 for eight in 20 overs (A. Brown 44, C Flynn 28, Phanase 2/15, Sunny Goyat 2/23)