The big story: India beat Pakistan to lift T20 World Cup for the Blind

India avenged their defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stages of the World T20 for the Blind with a comfortable nine-wicket win in the final in Bengaluru to lift the trophy for the second straight time.

Batting first, Pakistan posted 197/9 with Badar Munir top scoring with 57 from 37 balls, hitting eight fours and one six. Ajay Kumar Reddy and Prakasha Jayaramaiah gave India a solid start. The duo took India past the 100-run mark before Reddy was run-out for 43. His departure saw Ketan Patel take the crease, but he had to retire hurt on 26.

Both the finalists were in outstanding touch with the bat throughout the tournament.

Cricket

  • India were in the driver’s seat in the only Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad. Chasing a daunting 459-run target, the visitors were struggling at 103/3.
  • Veteran New Zealander Ross Taylor was left out of his country’s T20 squad to face South Africa with the selectors opting for rookie Tom Bruce in the middle-order.
  • India’s Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest in Test history to get to 250 wickets.  
  • Pacer Mohammad Irfan and two other players were interrogated by the Pakistan Cricket Board regarding the recent spot-fixing scandal involving Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif in the Pakistan Super League.
  • World Cup-winning Indian batsman Yusuf Pathan will be playing in the franchise-based Hong Kong League in march, becoming the first Indian man to venture out of India.

Football

  • Jurgen Klopp attributed Liverpool’s quick start as the reason behind their win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. 
  • Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara revealed that it was Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola who convinced him to swap the Barcelona shirt for the one of the Bavarian giants.
  • Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho suggested that  winger Anthony Martial still “lacks confidence” but hailed the Frenchman’s progress in recent weeks.
  • Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone admitted to losing ground over Spanish La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Argentine said that the two sides have become better in recent weeks.

Basketball

  • Kevin Durant starred in Golden State Warriors’ win over Oklahoma City Thunder. Warriors beat Thunder 130-114. 
  • Philadelphia 76ers snapped Miami Heat’s 13-match winning run with a 117-109 win on Saturday.