India's recent mixed signals over Pakistan may have left a window open for dialogue once the elections in UP are over. Months after Pakistani film stars with valid work visas were hounded out, its visually-impaired citizens have been accorded all due courtesies for a cricket tournament. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations has contributed to the Karachi Literary Festival even as encounters and curfew continue in Kashmir. After a long time, New Delhi is witnessing an absence of deliberately whipped-up anger.

The Indian blind cricket team, which won the T20 World Cup recently, was felicitated by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka, here on Monday.

At a function presided over by Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Prakasha Jayaramaiah and R. Sunil, the two cricketers from the State who played a winning hand, were honoured with cash awards of Rs. 7 lakh each. The duo was promised jobs in the State government.

BENGALURU: The Indian blind cricket team successfully defended its Twenty20 World Cup title here today, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final for the second successive edition.

With eight wins from nine matches, India had gone into the final as favourites and lived up to it with a comprehensive victory. For Pakistan though, it was their first loss in the tournament. The two teams had clashed in the 2012 edition final as well with India emerging triumphant.

Ludhiana: The BCCI may have won accolades for organising IPLs and gained a reputation for being the richest cricket board in the world, but it turns out to be indifferent when it comes to adopt the visually and hearing impaired and the physically challenged as they fail to organise tournaments for them.

So what do you expect from an India-Pakistan clash in a World Cup? A stadium packed to the rafters, unmatched noise from the crowd and of course, an Indian win. Alas, none of the three were anywhere to be seen on Wednesday at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, venue for the match involving the two arch-rivals in T20 World Cup for the blind.