Highlights
- Naman Ojha scored 108* off 71 deliveries
- The final match was played at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur
- Naman Ojha was adjudged the man of the match
Road Safety World Series 2022: Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends have successfully defended their crown of champions. The Road Safety World series tournament which brings all the former cricketers and legends under one roof has now officially come to a close and Sachin's men have been invincible throughout. Amongst all the high-octane cricket that was played, it was Little Master's batting prowess that took the world by surprise. Sachin, who retired in 2013 looked in ominous touch bringing back all the memories of his legendary playing days.
In the final that was being contested in Raipur India Legends won the toss and opted to bat. Skipper Sachin Tendulkar opened the proceedings with his compatriot Naman Ojha in the all-important finals. Nuwan Kulasekara struck the first blow as he dismissed Tendulkar for a first-ball duck. Suresh Raina, who walked in at number 3 for India Legends couldn't do much either as he departed for 4 runs. At 19/2, India Legends were in a dire need of a special innings. Naman Oja did exactly what the doctor ordered. Ojha took the Sri Lankan bowlers to the cleaners as he struck a sublime 108* off 71 deliveries. Ojha scored at a strike rate of 152.11 with 15 boundaries and 2 sixes to his name. To everybody's surprise, Vinay Kumar walked in ahead of Yuvraj Singh and he scored 36 off 21 deliveries. Nuwan Kulasekara fared decently as he effectuated 3 dismissals by conceding 29 runs in his quota of 3 overs. India stacked up a mammoth total of 195 runs.
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Sri Lanka Legends had their job cut out for themselves and they knew that it was very important for them to get off to a flyer. The duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Dilshan Munaweera could not lay a strong foundation for their side as they added only 10 runs for the first wicket. The Lankan legends crumbled under pressure. With the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Asela Gunaratne, and Jeevan Mendis departing early, Sri Lanka Legends were quickly reduced to 85/6. Ishan Jayaratne tried to steady Sri Lanka's ship with his gritty 51 off 22 deliveries, but his team's cause was long lost. Vinay Kumar who rose to the occasion with the bat made sure that he delivers with the ball too and he scalped 3 wickets which broke the back of the Sri Lankan innings. Sachin Tendulkar and co. won the match by 33 runs and retained their crown.
Teams:
Sri Lanka Legends XI: Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Tillakaratne Dilshan(c), Upul Tharanga(w), Dilshan Munaweera, Ishan Jayaratne, Asela Gunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad
India Legends XI: Naman Ojha(w), Sachin Tendulkar(c), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Stuart Binny, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Rajesh Pawar, Rahul Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vinay Kuma
