For Dronacharya S. M. Arif it was a birthday with a difference. On Tuesday, this distinguished badminton coach was joined by former India cricketer V.V.S. Laxman for a very special cause -- to promote cricket amongst the deaf.
Thanks to the initiative of Deaf Cricket Association, the first-ever five-day National T-20 Cricket Tournament commenced at Gymkhana Grounds.
When players from Jharkhand gestured to Laxman as he walked across to meet them and pose for photographs, he was quick to sense what they were trying to convey and remarked,
“You mean to say you are from the land of Dhoni. Right!” And, this could not have been possible without K. Maurya, a CA student, whose sole objective was to give these cricketers the feeling that they belong to the world of sport. “Till now only North and South had zonals for deaf cricketers. This is the first time they are playing in the nationals,” said Maurya, whose parents Sudhira Reddy and Kesavan Nair are deaf.
Mr. Arif said this was the best birthday present. “What struck me is their passion for the game. This is the beauty of sport,” he remarked. Laxman also lauded the initiative and felt these cricketers need such a platform.
Ravi Madan of Indiana Sports and ex-Ranji cricketer Ashok Veer of Superslo said 300 T-shirts would be presented to the players.
