World Cup winning blind cricketers seek financial support

The World Cup-winning Indian team has urged the Board of Cricket Control in India to look at supporting the financial aspect of blind cricket which has come a long way already. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru hosted the final of the recent T20 World Cup for the blind and India emerged as champions for the third time in a row, by beating Bangladesh.

Post the victory, the blind cricketers opened up on not having a title sponsor and how it has been affecting their earning livelihood. Skipper Ajay Kumar Reddy confessed about having no proper roadmap for the game and hoped for BCCI to provide a central contract, similar to the men and women’s cricket in India.

“We have won the World Cup for the third consecutive time but we don’t have a title sponsor.”

“It’s very difficult to play cricket when we know we have the bigger task of earning livelihood so that we can support our families,” Reddy, who scored a century in the final said during the felicitation ceremony organised by Union sports minister Anurag Thakur.

“The (BCCI) recognition has happened but there is no roadmap for our sport, no one knows what’s happening. We have also brought glory to the country on the cricket field and deserve to get (BCCI’s) central contract,” he added.

We have no monetary support, no jobs and no security whatsoever: Sunil Ramesh

Meanwhile, all-rounder Sunil Ramesh from the India blind team mentioned that the blind squad gathers only before the big tournament as they have to depend on other sources of income.

“We have no monetary support, no jobs and no security whatsoever. That’s the reason we only assemble before the world cup or a bilateral or triangular series, which are far and few between. If the Indian board wants, we too can play professionally,” 24-year-old all-rounder, Sunil Ramesh told.

Meanwhile, the President of Cricket Association, Mahantesh mentioned how the BCCI needs to bring about the professionalism factor into the sport despite all the achievements around.

“BCCI has been sympathetic to us all along providing us with infrastructure and training facilities but in order to bring more professionalism we need their financial support as well,” said Mahantesh, the President of Cricket Association of the Blind in India.