Blinded But Not Defeated: My Cricketing Odyssey

I come from a family of farmers. One day, while helping my father, I had an accident where a piece of wood hit my right eye, causing me to lose vision in that eye. We didn't have much money, so this was a big blow. I had to transfer from a regular school to a blind school.

At the blind school, I got interested in cricket, inspired by my seniors. I trained hard and joined the Odisa Blind Cricket team as an all-rounder in 2014. I looked up to seniors like Ajay Kumar Reddy, Prakash, and Venkatesh, who played exceptionally well in international matches.

My big moment came when I played against England. Ajay sir gave me the ball to open the bowling attack, and I took a wicket with my first ball. It was a dream debut. I needed a good bat to improve my game, so I asked my father for one. Despite our limited funds, he bought me the best bat he could, but it wasn’t enough. When I told him, he got frustrated and broke the bat. I was upset but didn't give up.

I worked hard, and we won a tournament. With the prize money, I bought a bat worth fifteen thousand. This bat helped me practice well and opened up more opportunities to play internationally.

Thanks to the support from the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), the conditions for blind cricketers have improved a lot. We are now getting jobs, financial support, and international exposure. We will be in New Jersey from August 5th to 11th, 2024. The support from cricket fans would mean a lot to us!

We’re glad to partner with Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and share stories "From Darkness to Glory"

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