New Delhi [India], November 25 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh won the fourth edition of the Nagesh Trophy National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind on Thursday at Arun Jaitley Stadium here by defeating Karnataka. The team won the trophy third time in a row.

Karnataka won the toss in the final and decided to bowl. Andhra Pradesh put up 231 for 3 in 20 overs. In reply, Karnataka was able to score only 204 for the loss of 3 wickets, falling short of the target by 27 runs.

Venkateshwara Rao was the highest scorer for Andhra Pradesh with 85 runs off 36 balls, and was declared the Man of the Match.

"I am amazed at the felicitous co-ordination of the organisers, sponsors, DDCA, British and Australian High Commissions and supporters for their generosity and firm belief in the spirit of our wonderful players," said Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi, who was the chief guest.

"I extend my best wishes to the contending teams. I can be very judicious in my assessment without taking sides. I am excited about the Women's Blind National Cricket Tournament due to be held in Bengaluru next year. Our government has been putting in tremendous efforts to bring in gender parity," she added.

With a fourth time straight in a row, the Andhra Pradesh team reached the finals of the tournament since its inception in 2019. Karnataka reached the finals for the second time.

CAB Andhra Pradesh won all its five league matches and remained at the top of the chart. CAB Karnataka won four out of the five league matches.

The Cricket tournament was organised by The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in association with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. India currently holds the Blind Cricket World Cup T20 trophy, won in 2018.

According to an official release, this tournament will help in selecting key players for the upcoming international championships. Overall, 56 probable players will be shortlisted. Seventeen players will be finalised for the world cup squad and will represent India in T20 World Cup.

A total of 400 visually impaired players converged on six grounds in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi to play an overall 67 T20 matches between November 16 and 25. (ANI)