For the first time, the women’s blind cricket team will represent India in a bilateral series against Nepal, which will be played in Pokhara and Kathmandu, Nepal from April 25 to 30.
The team will play five T20s Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) said at a press conference on Friday.
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The tournament is a major development in the efforts of CABI and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled for the upliftment of women players in the game.
The probables for the team were selected from the national championship held earlier in the year and the final team was selected after the national camp held in Bhopal. The team will be captained by Sushma Patel, who is a B3 category player.
Indian women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the brand ambassador of the Indian women’s blind cricket team.
“I am proud and happy to join the team. She is an inspiration to many young girls who want to overcome their disabilities and play sport at the highest level. When I see these girls, I get more energy and it motivates me to achieve something for the country,” Harmanpreet said in a media release.
India will play Nepal in five T20 matches in which the first two matches will be played in Pokhara. Cricket Ground, Kaski and the rest of the matches will be played at Mulpani Cricket Ground, Kathmandu.
“This is a result of our continuous efforts to support our girls and bring them to the forefront of sports. I am sure this tour will be a great exposure for our team and we look forward to providing them many more such tours in the future.
This is the first step towards making the sport accessible to more women and encouraging them to take up the sport and our team will be the trendsetter for a major change for women blind cricket in India. I wish our girls all the best for the series,” said Dr GK Mahantesh, President, CABI while talking about the efforts being made to uplift the women’s game.
The Women’s Bilateral T20 Cricket Series 2023 for the Blind will be inaugurated on April 25 at the Pokhara Cricket Ground followed by the inaugural match. The team will reach Kathmandu on 23 April.
“We have selected our best possible squad for this series from a pool of very talented players. We are confident that these history-makers will make the entire country proud and I wish our players all the best for the series,” CABI Secretary General E. John David said.
Harmanpreet Singh joined the press conference virtually, while GK Mahantesh, Chairman, CABI; E. John David, Secretary General, CABI; Shri Shailendra Yadav, Secretary, Northern Zone, CABI and Sushma Patel, Captain, Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team were present on the occasion.
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Indian women’s blind cricket team squad:
B1 Category: Kilaka Sandhya (Andhra Pradesh), U.K. Varsha (Karnataka), Padmini Tudu (Odisha), Simu Das (Rajasthan), Priya (Madhya Pradesh), Valasaini Ravanni (Andhra Pradesh)
B2 Category: Gangavva Neelappa Harijan (Vice Captain, Karnataka), Sandra Davis (Kerala), Basanti Hansda (Odisha), Pritiben Desai (Gujarat), Prity Prasad (Delhi)
B3 Category: Sushma Patel (Captain, Madhya Pradesh), Phula Saren(Odisha), Ganga Kadam (Maharashtra), Deepika TC (Karnataka), Jhili Birua (Odisha), M. Satyavathi (Andhra Pradesh)
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