4 Odisha players make it to India’s first women cricket team for blind

Initiated by CABI and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, the idea of introducing cricket for visually impaired women had been in the works for some time.

Bhubaneswar: In a major feat for differently-abled female sportspersons, four players from Odisha have found a place in India’s first-ever National Women’s Cricket Team for the Blind for the upcoming T20 Bilateral Series in Nepal. Jhilli Birua, Phula Saren, Padmini Tudu and Basanti Hansda will be part of the 17-member maiden team that will play a 5-match bilateral T20 Series against Nepal in Pokhara and Kathmandu from April 25 to 30.

They, along with another blind player Jamnarani Tudu from Mayurbhanj, were among the 38 players who were initially shortlisted for selection trials basing on their previous performances in national tournaments. The final selection was made based on the players’ performances in the recently concluded selection trials held in Bhopal.

The team’s selection was announced by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and is touted to go down in history as the first-ever Indian team to compete in the T20 Bilateral Series for the Blind.

Taking to Twitter, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the entire team besides praising the girls who made it from the State.

President of CABI Mahantesh G. Kivadasannavar too shared his excitement and said this has been an eagerly anticipated moment. ” It is time to showcase to the world that India is proud to have its first-ever women’s cricket team for the blind. I am confident that this is just the beginning, and these women will make us even prouder and inspire many more visually impaired women to play cricket with passion,” he said.

From April 17 to 22, the squad will participate in an intensive national cricket coaching camp at Sarda Sportscube Foundation in Gurugram. On April 23, the Indian team, along with officials, will depart from Delhi to Nepal for the event. While Sushma Patel from Madhya Pradesh has been announced as the team captain by CABI, Gangavva Neelappa Harijan from Karnataka is the vice-captain.

Initiated by CABI and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, the idea of introducing cricket for visually impaired women had been in the works for some time.

 

 

 

 

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