Winning the toss, India opted to bat first and scored 342 runs losing one wicket in the allotted 20 overs. Nepal was bowled out for 93 runs in 14.2 overs. [break]
The expected finalist of the tournament, India started the innings well as it continued to punish Nepali bowlers though they tried different bowling styles against the strong host.
Hanuman Pooniya hammered 128 runs, while his opening partner Ajay Kumar Reddy scored 120 runs before being retired hurt. Amar Oli of Nepal bowled Subash Bhoya on 56 runs.
Chasing the mammoth target of 343 runs, Nepal did not start well and the batsmen continued to give away their wickets. Opener Surya Bhattarai (5) was sent back to the pavilion by Dilip Munde, while another opener Bikram Bahadur Rana (6) was short to the crease.
Bhagwati Bhattarai, the only lady player in the tournament, was sent back to the pavilion by Munde on duck. Ram Prasad Paudel (2), Amar Oli (5), Sunil Subedi (12), Padam Bahadur Badale (1), skipper Jay Sagar Giri (16) and Shankar Regmi were sent back to the pavilion as they failed to reach the crease. Santosh Shapkota (14) was bowled by Reddy.
Nepal´s coach Ganga Prasad Paudel said that Nepal must improve its running between the wickets to avoid huge defeats. “We have been facing problems in running between the wickets since the first match of the tournament and we must improve this to achieve good results in the upcoming matches.”
Pawan Ghimire, the president of Nepal Blind Cricket Association commented that players were morally down before the match as they were facing India, the title contender.
(Journalist Ghimire reported from Bangalore)
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