Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Arun Sao Inaugurates Press Club Khel Madai

Raipur witnessed an exciting start to the much-anticipated Press Club Khel Madai as Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Arun Sao formally inaugurated the sporting event at the Raipur Press Club. Addressing the gathering, the Deputy CM praised the initiative and highlighted the importance of regular sports participation for fostering good health and team spirit.

The opening match of the Late Kuldeep Nigam Memorial Inter-Press Cricket Tournament saw a nail-biting contest between Editors XI and Former Office Bearers XI, keeping spectators on edge until the final ball.

In the 10-over clash, Editors XI captain Ramavatar Tiwari won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Manoj Singh Baghel and Abhishek Shukla provided a steady start, but tight bowling by Sushil Agrawal triggered a mini-collapse as Editors XI lost five quick wickets. Anshuman Sharma then anchored the innings, emerging as the top scorer with 19 runs, helping his team post a total of 70 and set a target of 71.

Chasing the target, Former Office Bearers XI received valuable contributions from Virendra Sharma and Rajesh Mishra, while Sushil Agrawal top-scored for his side. However, disciplined bowling under Ramavatar Tiwari’s captaincy—led by Sameer Shukla, Mohit Sahu, Rajendra Nigam, and Abhishek Shukla—kept the pressure on. Needing eight runs off the final over, Former Office Bearers XI managed only six against Rajendra Nigam’s decisive spell, handing Editors XI a dramatic one-run victory.

Individual performances were recognised with awards: Sushil Agrawal (Former Office Bearers XI) was named Man of the Match for his all-round display, Anshuman Sharma (Editors XI) received the Best Batsman award, Rajendra Nigam (Editors XI) was adjudged Best Bowler, and Mohit Sahu (Editors XI) won Best Fielder.

The thrilling encounter was witnessed by Press Club officials, including President Mohan Tiwari, General Secretary Gaurav Sharma, Vice President Dilip Sahu, Treasurer Dinesh Yadu, Joint Secretaries Nivedita Sahu and Bhupesh Jangde, as well as Sports Committee Convener Vijay Mishra, senior journalist Prashant Sharma, and a large gathering of media personnel.

The tournament continues on Monday with the match between Press 11 Star and Senior Joint XI, to be witnessed by Apex Bank Chairman Kedar Nath Gupta, senior journalist Shankar Pandey, and Bhaskar Editor Shiv Dubey.

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