Indoor Cricket Masters World Series India's Thrilling Victory Over England and Crushing Win Against Singapore

 

Indoor Cricket Masters World Series

India's Thrilling Victory Over England and 

Crushing Win Against Singapore

Colombo, September 29 (Sports Correspondent): The Indoor Cricket Masters World Series has begun at the Austasia Sports Club, Thalawathugoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka, with the approval of the World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) and in collaboration with the Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association. Eight countries are participating in the tournament, including host Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, UAE, and Singapore. The series features matches in six categories: women over 30 and men over 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 years. India has fielded teams in the women’s over-30 category and the men's over-35, over-40, and over-45 categories.

 

In an impressive display, India's over-40 men's team secured a thrilling victory over a strong England side and followed it up with a dominant win against a weaker Singapore team. In the first match, India faced off against England. Batting first, India's opening pair, Prashant Kariya (13 runs and 3 wickets) and Nagesh Singh (minus 6 runs and 1 wicket), scored 7 runs in the first four overs. The next pair, Abhishek Wesley (2 runs and 2 wickets) and vice-captain Karthikeyan Subramanian (10 runs and 1 wicket), added 12 runs to the total. Captain Prasanna Kumar (18 runs) and Shamseer Chintavida (14 runs) contributed 32 more runs, further strengthening India’s score. The final pair, Rajeev Chandrasekar (10 runs) and Hiren Prajapati (18 runs and 1 wicket), added 29 runs, putting India in a strong position.

 

England's batsmen responded aggressively from the outset. The first pair, Sean Ongers and Shaun Henderson, scored 11 runs, while the second pair, Neill Furlonger and David Ball, added 12 runs. This put pressure on the Indian team. However, India successfully restricted England's third pair, Michael Jones (captain) and Aaron Watson, to 24 runs, boosting India's morale. The final pair, Jamie Johnson and Aaron Watson, put up a fierce fight, scoring 31 runs, but Hiren Prajapati's wicket on the last ball sealed India's thrilling 80-79 victory by just one run.

 

In the next match, India faced a heavy 91-53 defeat against the UAE. However, they bounced back strongly, defeating a weaker Singapore team by 92-08, a massive 84-run victory. After three matches, India is in fourth place on the points table, while Australia, UAE, and South Africa hold the top three spots.

 

India’s women’s over-30 team, participating for the first time, faced tough defeats, losing to England (117-08), New Zealand (125 minus 35), and South Africa (151-30). The performances of India’s men's over-35 and over-45 teams were also subpar.