Odisha got off to a flying start in the Nagesh Trophy 3rd National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind, trouncing Madhya Pradesh by 139 runs at Nirman Cricket Academdy Ground in Bangalore today. Sukhram Majhi and Nakula Badanayak played instrumental roles in the thumping win for Odisha.

Opting to bat after captain Mohammad Jafar Iqbal won the toss, Odisha rode on unbeaten knocks of 101 (59 balls) by Nakula Badanayak and 72 (39 balls) by Sukhram Majhiu to muster a huge total of 249 for two in the stipulated 20 overs. Captain Iqbal contributed 36 runs.

In reply, Madhya Pradesh were restricted to 110 for nine. Among Odisha bowlers, Sukhram Majhi was most successful, bagging three wickets. Pankaj Bhue claimed two wickets, while Nakula Badanayak, Tapan Kumar Gauda and Raghuram Naik picked up one wicket each. Sukhram Majhi was declared the man of the match. Odisha will next meet West Bengal at Sachin Tendulkar Ground tomorrow.

BRIEF SCORE: Odisha 249/2 in 20 overs (Nakula Badanayak 101*, Sukhram Majhi 72*, Md Jafar Iqbal 36) beat Madhya Pradesh 110/9 in 20 overs (Sukhram Majhi 3 wkts, Pankaj Bhue 2 wkts) by 139 runs. MoM: Sukhram Majhi.
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PHOTO: Sukhram Majhi (left) and Nakula Badanayak pose after powering Odisha to a thumping win over Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru on 8 February, 2021.