'We are very happy to win this medal' - India captain Sushma Patel after her team bags Gold in IBSA World Games

Cricket made an entry into the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) World Games for the first time this year. Under the inspirational leadership of Sushma Patel, a visually impaired Indian women's cricket team won the gold medal after annihilating Australia by nine wickets in a rain-curtailed contest at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Saturday, August 26.

Australia could only manage to score 115/8 in their 20 overs. The Indian batters scored 43 runs in just 3.3 overs and won the game on the DLS method. Captain Sushma recently expressed her happiness after leading her team to a phenomenal achievement.

“We are very happy to win this medal,” Sushma was quoted as saying by India Today. Their incredible performance has certainly filled the cricket-loving country of India with great pride and it will surely inspire more visually impaired cricketers to step forward and play the beautiful sport.

Indian men's team finish with Silver after loss to Pakistan

The visually impaired men's team of India also had a memorable campaign in the IBSA World Games as they also reached the championship match. However, they had to settle for silver as they were beaten by Pakistan by an eight-wicket margin at Edgbaston on Saturday, August 26. This match was played after the women's final.

Batting first, India set a challenging target of 184 for arch-rivals Pakistan on the back of a 57-ball 76 from DR Tompaki. The 'Men in Green' played fearlessly and eventually chased the target with relative ease. After the loss, India captain Ajay Kumar Reddy said that his team will learn from the mistakes and bounce back strongly in the upcoming series.

"We wanted to take another hold but it could not happen. Next series we will learn from our mistakes and come back,” Ajay Kumar Reddy said.

Overall, it was an impressive campaign for India in the World Games as both the men's and women's teams managed to make the country proud.