Rajasthan: The blind have a ball, overcome hurdles in cricket tourney
They bowl, bat and even take catches in cricket ground. Partial or total loss of vision was never a hurdle for these special cricketers participating in the Louis Braille National Blind Cricket competition here.
They bowl, bat and even take catches in cricket ground. Partial or total loss of vision was never a hurdle for these special cricketers participating in the Louis Braille National Blind Cricket competition here.
Eight teams from four national zones are participating in the event.
Rajasthan’s Rajendra Verma has participated twice in the Blind Cricket World Cup. Verma lost his vision at the tender age of five due to typhoid. Besides playing cricket, he is employed as a government teacher.
Delhi vice-captain Irfan Khan regrets that they receive ‘step brotherly’ treatment by the government despite playing World Cup like their regular counterparts. “We have never received enough encouragement despite winning glory for the country,” he said.
In 2014, India had defeated Pakistan in the final match of the Blind World Cup Cricket tournament. Prior to this, India trounced Pakistan in the first T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012.
ML Misra, former coach of the Indian blind cricket team, claims he was struck by concentration of some visually-challenged children who eagerly followed cricket action via commentary during a practice match. This, he claims, helped him to partner a specialised unit to come out with a new cricket ball for the blind.