India`s triumphant T20 blind World Cup squad enjoyed a lifetime experience as their victory parade in an open bus got a huge response from thousands of fans gathered on the streets of Bangalore on Saturday evening.
Ajay Kumar Reddy & Co outclassed Bangladesh by 120 runs in the decider at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and then it was all about the celebrations.
Though the distance from the stadium to the team hotel is just around three kilometres, the players took more than one hour to reach their destination with the crowds cheering and congratulating these champions.
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“It was a thrilling experience. Now we can imagine what MS Dhoni’s team experienced when they clinched the inaugural T20 World Cup [in South Africa in 2007] and had a victory parade to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Our parade was planned at the eleventh hour, but still lots of people came on the Bangalore roads and celebrated this achievement with us. I thank all of them,” Reddy told Sunday mid-day from Bangalore.
Batting first, India piled up 277-2, thanks mainly to opener Sunil Ramesh’s unbeaten 136 (24×4, 1×6) and Reddy’s 100 not out from 50 balls (18×4). In reply, Bangladesh managed 157-3 in 20 overs with opener Salman scoring an unbeaten 77 (5×4). Reddy and Lalit Meena claimed one wicket apiece.
Reddy urged the BCCI to provide a proper roadmap. “This is a memorable win for all of us. But we need a proper map on how BCCI is going to support us. The BCCI has already formed a committee for differently abled cricketers, but there is no map. Even when I begged for sponsorship, people said now the BCCI has already recognised you, why do you need help?
“We get Rs 3,000 per game. Now we have to distribute the prize money of R3 lakh amongst us including support staff. They [BCCI] should support us like they are supporting our national team,” remarked Reddy.
