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Clear vision: Willpower is the biggest wealth says visually impaired cricketer from Karnataka

SHIVAMOGGA: Immensely felt happy to represent India. Nothing is impossible in this world. Willpower is the biggest wealth for any individual, said Kavya V, a visually impaired cricketer who was among the players of the Indian womens blind cricket team that scripted history by winning the inaugural Womens T20 World Cup 2025 for the blind. The Indian team won the first Womens T20 One-Day International World Cup by defeating Nepal by seven wickets in Colombo on Sunday. Kavya is a resident of Ripponpete of Sagar taluk and a B1 cricketer, who contributed to the teams win by her all-round performance. The other girls in the team who hail from Karnataka are team captain Deepika TC and Kavya NR. Kavya hails from Baruwe village in Hosanagar taluk. She was completely blind by birth, but the disability did not stop her from attending the local school till Class 4. In 2009, when her family found that she was facing difficulties to continue her education, a teacher at the school suggested that she go to a special school at Shivamogga. Even though her family initially disagreed, the teacher convinced them and sent her to the Sharadadevi Andhara Vikasa Kendra at Gopala where she completed her studies till SSLC. It was teachers at this school who encouraged her to participate in sports events. In 2016-17 Kavya participated in the state-level match in Bengaluru her parents were not initially willing to send her out of the village, but her friends convinced them. Later, she completed her PUC and degree at Samarthanam Trust, Bengaluru. The Trust supported her to pursue her education and participation in many cricket camps. At present, she is pursuing MA at Jnanabharathi Education Society, Bengaluru. Kavya said she has played four national tournaments since 2022. She has also played two international games and it was the first time that she was selected to play in the World Cup. The team and the team manager supported me. There was strong support from the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI). When I was in my school days, my teacher used to tell me that I play cricket very well. He used to ask me not to have an inferiority complex and fear inside of me. My seniors used to tell me that I play well and constantly pushed me to do better. They encouraged me a lot, Kavya said, adding that she hailed from a very poor family where her parents used to make their livelihood by doing odd jobs.