Gymkhana Grounds provided a study of contrasts on Friday. At one end, the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy one-day squad was training for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in a high-profile manner while in a corner at the same venue, the Indian blind cricket team was preparing for the one-day series against Pakistan later this month.
Thanks to the efforts of coach Penumarthi Chandrasekhar, who is also the State Convenor for Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), a 15-member team could assemble for a one-week coaching camp.
Well, this Pak series is part of the build up for the inaugural T-20 World Cup for the blind in India this November. Hyderabad will be hosting two of the matches.
But, it is a pity that they train almost unnoticed and even ‘unwanted' for obvious reasons.
However, that these specially challenged cricketers defy all odds to script their own moments of joy on the cricket field is a tribute to their indefatigable spirit.
For the record, the team comprises three categories of players. B-1: Totally blind like vice-captain Mahender Das, Pushparaj. B-2: Partially blind cricketers. B-3: Partially sighted cricketers with a vision range of six metres like the captain Shekhar Naik of Bangalore.
Interestingly, there are four from the city in this team – Mahender, Ajay Reddy, Pushparaj and Venkatesh.
“It is not easy to manage the affairs of this brand of cricket in an indifferent world. There are very few like St. Andrews School management which gave us free accommodation during the camp for the players,” says Chandrasekhar.
Significantly, these specially challenged cricketers require a near-silent ambience to train because they play the game based on the sound the ball makes.
It is a pity that while Cricket Boards of all Test nations take care of the Blind Cricketers including preparing an annual programme of international matches, the BCCI doesn't have any such thing back home.
“We are finding it extremely difficult to run this sport. After all, there is a limit to stretching ourselves. Unless we find a sponsor who takes care of the training and exposure (and it doesn't cost much) expenses, it is next to impossible to keep going,” says Chandrasekhar.
