Blind cricketers from India, Sri Lanka in face-off today

Our Sports Correspondent
Ludhiana, October 19

Players of India and Sri Lanka cricket teams (visually-impaired) were accorded a warm reception here on Friday.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu and MLA Simrajeet Singh Bains, along with members of the National Federation for Blinds (NFFB), received the players at a hotel.

The fourth T20 match of the five-match series between visually-impaired cricket teams of India and Sri Lanka will be played at the Punjab Agricultural University cricket ground here on Saturday. The match will start at 9 am.

Gurpreet Singh Chahal, chief organiser, said the matches were being conducted by the National Federation for Blinds, in association with the Bharat Netraheen Sewak Samaj. India is leading 3-0, after winning the first three matches convincingly. The fifth and last match is scheduled to be played at Faridabad.

John David Indala, general secretary, Cricket Association for Blinds (India), said: “The Indian team is led by Ajay Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and one player from Punjab (Kapil Dev), while the visitors are led by Preanatha Kumara.”

Indian skipper Ajay said boys were rearing to clinch Saturday’s match to consolidate the lead whereas captain of Sri Lanka team, Kumara, expressed confidence that players were competent enough to bounce back in the series to reduce the margin.

Avtar Singh Makkar, former president of the SGPC, Manpreet Singh Ayali, former MLA, and Pritpal Singh, president, Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib, will be the guests of honour during the opening ceremony.

MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Ludhiana DC Pradeep Agrawal will be chief guests at the prize distribution function.