Odisha registered fifth consecutive victory in the Nagesh Trophy National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind, beating Haryana by 36 runs in their last Group-B league match at Saket Ground in New Delhi today. Having serured a berth in the quarterfinals already, Odisha emerged group toppers with the win over Haryana.

Opting to bat after captain Mohammad Jafar Iqbal won the toss, Odisha mustered an imposing total of 191 for five in the stipulated 20 overs. In-form Pankaj Bhue was the top scorer with an unbeaten 87.

Among other successful Odisha batters, Lal Prasad Soren slammed 31, while Jaffar Iqbal and Sukhram Majhi contributed 20 runs each. In reply, Haryana could score 155 for five with the help of a fine knock of 55 by Deepak Mallick.

Among successful Odisha bowlers, Pankaj Bhue and Nakul Badanayak took two wickets each. Bhue was declared the player of the match for his splendid allround performance. Odisha will take on Rajasthan in the quarterfinal at Saket Ground on November 23.

In other quarterfinal matches, Andra Pradesh will take on Uttarakhand, Karnataka will face Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will meet Kerala.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Odisha allrounder Pankaj Bhue receives the man of the match prize in New Delhi on 21 November 2021.