Sports

Chennai: Cricket for the blind...

If they have a ball, they will play, even if they can't see it.
The five teams competing for the first 'Nethrodaya Cricket Cup - Cricket for the Blind' comprise members with varying degrees of visual impairment, some of them completely blind.

It is not just an exhibition of the indomitable human spirit; it's about the game, they say! There are some serious national-level and World Cup players in the teams from the four South Indian states (Kerala has two).

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, stepped forward to play host on their grounds. Gopi Govindaraj from Nerhrodaya is the brain behind the tournament. He said that sports were an integral part of one's life, but it is restricted to people without disabilities.

This was a chance for the visually impaired students to play in a user-friendly environment. India has been a pioneer in formulating the game and arranging a World Cup for blind cricket, thanks to the visually impaired George Abraham, founder of the Association of Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI), who is a cricket enthusiast.

The boys have been practicing for three months now. Former test cricketer V.V. Kumar, who inaugurated the tournament, said that the Indian team could learn a lot about concentration and focus from the blind cricketers.

Source: They are in the game, seriously. The Hindu, Chennai, 22nd January 2006.