Indian Legends crowned Road Safety World Series champions

For the second consecutive year, the Indian Legends scripted history as they breezed past their continental neighbours in the grand finale of the Road Safety World Series, thanks to another humdinger all-round display from the Indians.

Winning the toss, Indian captain, Sachin Tendulkar opted to bat first. Sadly, for the Indian fans, the skipper’s stumps went for a toss as Nuwan Kulasekara removed him for a golden duck. Suresh Raina couldn’t get going either as he fell for just 4 runs.

It was the unlikely moniker of Vinay Kumar who dropped anchor at one end while Naman Ojha kept on punching heroically. He toyed with the Lankan legends while runs kept on coming steadily from the other end too, despite in bits and pieces.

Naman Ojha stayed unbeaten for a blistering 108 off just 71 balls while the India Legends managed to pile up a staggering 195 for the loss of 6 wickets. Amidst such heavy battering, Nuwan Kulasekara was the pick of the lot for the Lankan legends as he registered figures of 3 for 29.

The fast-bowling duo of Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun struck early as Sri Lanka had an early wobble with Jayasuriya and Munaweera falling in no time. Rajesh Pawar and Stuart Binny had their fair share of joys but it was Mithun who outshone the others emphatically.

Ishan Jayaratne waged a single-handed war against the marauding Indian bowlers but the ask was too steep already and the initial blows made it tougher for the Lankans to find their groove. A collective show of brilliance sealed the deal for the Indians as Sri Lanka was skittled out for 162.

Naman Ojha was awarded the man of the match for his incredible century while Tillakaratne Dilshan was ennobled with the man of the series award for piling up 192 runs and claiming 5 wickets during the tournament.