They Can’t Walk, but Still Hit Boundaries! First Wheelchair Cricket Match held in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: While cricket is revered as a religion, how many of us aware there are other cricket teams in India that have not received their right dues for years? No, I am not talking about the Indian women’s cricket teams, which thankfully in the last few years has managed to make people sit up and take notice of their wonders. I am talking about India’s wheelchair cricket teams! And two of such Wheelchair Cricket teams, one representing Karnataka and the other representing Maharashtra played a tough fight during the FIRST of its kind Wheelchair Cricket match to happen in Mangaluru- and it was held at the beautiful green layered ground of Sahyadri Engineering College, Adyar-Mangaluru.
While the entire nation is glued on to IPL, on the other hand, one of the biggest platforms where the differently-abled cricketers from all over the world face off is about to get underway. But the question is, how many of us really know about wheelchair cricket? Yes, it is an alien concept for many who have no notion about the fact that disabled people can be athletes too. From its inception since 2012, probably a handful of people even have heard its name or know that a sport like this even exists. All around when people are busy debating the World Cup squad, but few even know about the teams who play wheelchair cricket and the players. Hardly any wheelchair-bound people take any interest or believe that they can be athletes too. We Are So Obsessed With The IPL That We Don’t Even Know That few Indians Are Playing A Wheelchair Cricket Tournament!
Believe it or not, it has been thoroughly researched and penned down in reputed journals how sports can create an inclusive environment for mental development. It can impart confidence, provide more social networking opportunities and overall shape up a person who can overcome all the social hurdles and mental barriers of disability. Quite a few states in India have active players in the Wheelchair Cricket’s Team, and Mangaluru for the FIRST time witnessed a interesting cricket match between ‘Divyaang Mythri Karnataka Wheelchair Cricket Team’and ‘Para Wheelchair Cricket Association Team- Maharashtra’. The main purpose in organizing this cricket match, in general was to increase the social awareness of the general populace as well as to encourage more disabled athletes to come forward and participate in more numbers in this form of the sport.
We need to compliment Sahodaya- an outreach programme of St Aloysius College (Autonomous) Mangaluru under the able leadership of Dhiraj Sequeira, the President of Sahodaya, who arranged this cricket match under the banner “Kanasu 2019- Redefining Ability” – a disability awareness month, on 8 December 2019 at Sahyadri Coillege, Mangaluru. Sahodaya took a unique step to bring the Maharashtra Vs Karnataka Wheelchair Cricket Tournament to Kudla, for the first time, and the spectators, young and old enjoyed the match to the fullest with Wows! Yes, this is a beacon of hope and a push to all those people and show them that nothing can limit you to be a part of this game. But the tragedy doesn’t end here. Why do we have so limited knowledge on this matter? It is due to the lack of media coverage. These differently-abled people can really win hearts as they face the battle of life. So let’s go and support these guys. They need it and have earned the right to be cheered. They may be restricted to a wheelchair, but their spirit is untamed. And we all saw it to believe it, when they played in our town.
While the rules of wheelchair and regular cricket are very much similar, but the Players need wheelchairs according to their height and build, to facilitate manoeuvrability. The game requires immense dedication and players need to work on building their upper body strength through a series of exercises and therapy. For example, when players run between the creases, they need to leave behind the bat since they use both hands to power the wheelchair and complete a run. The cricket ground is 45-50 metres, cricket pitch is 18 yards; standards of the ball and bat used in the match has to comply with the standards of International Cricket and the ball has to be made of leather.
The match played was of 20 overs; wearing pads while batting is compulsory; while playing, any player’s feet should not touch the ground otherwise player is disqualified from the match; in case where front tyre of wheelchair crosses the crease while bowling, it will be considered as a no ball; rest of the game is played in accordance with the rules made by International Cricket Council (ICC). Captain of Maharashtra team Rahul boasts of the ability of his team to strike boundaries- six or four. “In cricket, players can strike the ball on the front or back foot. We have no feet but we still manage to hit boundaries. I am sure as we go ahead, we will get more recognition, and more differently-abled (persons) will come out of their houses to make India truly accessible.”
N G Mohan Director of Scouts and Guides – Dakshina Kannada inaugurated the Maharashtra Vs Karnataka wheelchair cricket match. He stressed on the importance on how we could draw inspiration from all the person’s with disability, giving an example of a polio-athlete named Ms Wilma Rudolph of USA. Mohan said, “Wilma Rudolph of Tennessee,USA born on June 23, 1940, had a premature birth and weighed only 4.5 pounds. As a child, she suffered from a number of illnesses, including polio. She overcame all of them. Rudolph achieved her dream to compete in track and field at the Summer Olympic Games in 1956 and 1960. Rudolph was the first U.S. woman to win three gold medals in track and field. She did this in a single Olympics”
“Wilma Rudolph will always be remembered as one of the most inspirational athletes in history. She is known for saying that winning is great, but if someone wants to succeed at something, they need to learn how to lose. Rudolph explained that nobody wins all the time. A good athlete has to get past crushing defeats to win again. This will show the world they’re a true champion. Her story of overcoming childhood disabilities to win Olympic gold medals will continue to inspire athletes for generations. And we should all admire the capabilities of today’s wheelchair cricket team members, though being disabled and unleashing their talents in sports” added Mohan.
Also speaking on the occasion, Fr Praveen Martis SJ, the Principal of St Aloysius College said, “The presence of these two wheelchair cricket teams has inspired me a lot. Kanasu (Dream) as the event name stands for has become a Dream Come True. These special people can play just like our regular Indian cricket team players. We should know that God has given all of us strength and courage, including the differently-abled people. We should not only support IPL or other national matches, but should also support and encourage wheelchair cricket teams, and make a difference in their lives”.
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Karnataka wheelchair cricket team won the toss and elected to field. Maharashtra team scored 149 runs in the given 20 overs. Karnataka chased down the match with the thumping victory with 9 wickets in hand. Tippeswamy of Karnataka was declared the “Man of the Match” hitting 94 runs in 52 balls and Santhosh R of Maharashtra team was awarded the “Best Bowler” trophy. Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ distributed the awards. Winners received a cash prize of rupees 10,000/- along with the trophy and medals. Runners-up received a cash prize of rupees 6000/- along with the trophy and medals. All the 40 players and the support staff received the honorarium .
The event began with a prayer, followed by welcome address by Dhiraj Sequeira, the president of Sahodaya, who also gave a brief report on the activities conducted for the disabled people, including a cricket match for the blind earlier, and this wheelchair cricket match being conducted for the first time here. Other dignitaries on the dais were- Ms Jeshma D’souza, the other president of Sahodaya; Ms Vrinda and Ms Afsheen Ayesha, both secretaries of Sahodaya. The programme was compered by Ms Apoorva of II year M Sc at SAC. Cricket match umpires were Skanda and Srijeeth of Mangaluru, and match commentators were ( in Kannada) Sayak of St Aloysius College, and (in Hindi) Abhijeeth from Maharashtra.
In conclusion, I hope these special wheelchair cricket players receive recognition and support not just from cricket bodies but also the government and sports ministry, and that they don’t have to wait years to get noticed! Wishing these two teams the very best for their future cricket series, and hoping that they continue to make the country proud wherever they go. But at the same time, I wish our government also gives them a reason to be proud of them too, and not just Virat Kohli’s team?
