The Indian Men’s Cricket Team for the Blind is currently awaiting approval from the Government of India to participate in the 4th T20 World Cup for the Blind, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in November 2024.
In an exclusive interview to South Asian Herald, Manager of Indian Men’s Cricket Team for the Blind, Dhiraj Sequeira, said, “Indian Men’s team is getting ready to play the T20 World Cup and we are waiting for the nod from the Government of India regarding our participation in the tournament.”
He noted that the first ever Women’s World Cup for the Blind is likely to be hosted by India in 2025.
Indian Men’s Cricket Team for the Blind is currently on a mission to promote the sport across the United States. Their tour includes visits to US cities such as Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Edison, and San Francisco.
The team also participated in the 78th Independence Day Celebrations, at India House in Washington DC, where the new Indian Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, unfurled the flag.
“We met quite a few cricketers from India and Pakistan in New York and Washington DC, and they are ready to support us as well. So, we are ready with our visas, if Pakistan players could get their visas in the coming year – they are happy to host us with a bilateral series that will give a big momentum,” he noted.
In July, the Chairman, General Secretary, and Captain of the Indian team attended a conference hosted by the National Federation for the Blind in Orlando, Florida. During the conference, they interacted with a lot of visually impaired people, since more than 3000 of them from US and other countries participated.
“The primary reason of the Indian Men’s Cricket Team for the Blind’s visit to US, is to promote cricket for the blind,” he explained highlighting the focus on engaging both the Indian diaspora and the broader visually impaired community throughout the country.
Sequeira also noted that the team has reached out to the Indian diaspora and other supporters to help construct an inclusive cricket stadium equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for people with disabilities in India. This initiative aims to advance sports opportunities for individuals with disabilities at the highest level.
“We want to make sure that after our visit, many of the visually impaired from various schools and institutions would come forward,” said Sequeira. “At the same time, we would be able to form the first ever men’s and women’s American Blind Cricket Team in the coming years.”
Sequeira underscored that another goal is to, “advocate strongly for the inclusion of cricket for the Blind in the next Paralympics, especially since cricket is part of the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.” Therefore, the Indian Team has been urging the Paralympic Organizing Committee to include cricket alongside other sports.
The visiting team has also contacted Sara Minkara, the White House Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, as well as various Indian missions, and corporate entities for support.
“A lot of support has been garnered over the last 20 days, and a lot of well-wishers have come forward to support cricket for the blind,” he said adding a philanthropist, Subu Kota from the Kota Foundation in Boston, who has been helping the team has sponsored their entire US tour.
He praised Mahantesh G Kivadasannavarsanava, chairman of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India and founder and managing trustee of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, for his tremendous support. Kivadasannavarsanav, who is visually impaired himself and a former president of the World Blind Cricket Limited, has been instrumental in advancing cricket for the blind at highest levels.
After the team members obtained US visas, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, visited the cricket team in Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. He spent time understanding the game and even played cricket with the team members.
According to Sequeira, the Men’s Cricket team has won 3 T20 World Cup tournaments in 2012, 2017, and 2022, two ODI World Cups in 2014 and 2018, and one Asia Cup. Additionally, Indian Women’s team secured a gold medal at the International Blind Sport Federation, in August 2023 in Birmingham, where the Men’s Team won a silver medal against Pakistan.
Sequeira noted that a blind cricket team consists of 11 players, including four who are totally blind, three who are partially blind, and four who are partially sighted.
