It may not have had the glitz or glamour, or the prize money for that matter, that was on display at Navi Mumbai's D Y Patil stadium on Sunday, but Amethi's own T20 finals on Monday, brainchild of Congress member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi, was a hit by any countryside yardstick.
The Gandhis' fascination for cricket is well-known, with Rahul, with sister Priyanka and hubby Robert Vadra often seen at various India fixtures. This time round, the cricketing fraternity repaid the compliment with maestro Sachin Tendulkar, along with youngsters Rudra Pratap Singh and Pankaj Singh, attending the final at the B R Ambedkar stadium in Amethi. A new attendee this time was 7-year-old Rehan Vadra sporting a Kolkata Knight Riders Tee, watching the final seated between his parents.
Monday's final saw Tiloi and Sangrampur clash, with the latter walking away with the prize money of Rs 3 lakh plus trophy, given out by Tendulkar. Runner-up Tiloi won Rs 1.5 lakh and a trophy, given out by Robert Vadra. Nilesh Kumar was presented the man of the match award by R P Singh. Rahul Gandhi gave away Rs 60,000 each to the losing semi-finalists. For the record, Sangrampur smashed 126, aided by six sixes and 10 fours, and Tiloi fell short by 64 runs.
Text: The Rediff News Bureau | Photographs: Atul Yadav
Image: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar enjoy the final of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Cricket Tournament in Amethi on Monday.
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