S'win'g it girls: India's blind women's cricket team are determined to bring home a World Cup

Mahima Nagaraju Just two weeks ago, the India womens cricket team brought home the World Cup trophy in a groundbreaking moment. With the buzz from the win starting to settle, another group of women cricketers may just jolt us awake soon the India blind womens cricket team playing in the first-ever blind womens T20 World Cup. After winning their first two matches in Delhi and third in Bengaluru, the team defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets, qualifying for the semi-finals. We must definitely bring home the cup!, says captain Deepika TC, adding the India womens teams recent win acted as a great morale booster for her girls. All-rounder Kavya NR proves her right when she adds, We were so proud we felt like we ourselves had won. I have confidence that we will too because the players are among the best from different parts of the country. We also have a really good bond. Early Days Deepika, like many of the girls, started playing blind cricket at a school for the visually-impaired with much apprehension surrounding her choice. I grew up in a small town near the Andhra Pradesh border and my parents were initially worried about what others would say because Im a girl. The culture there is very different, she recalls. A turning point came after she joined the newly-minted national team in 2019, which later went on to win the World Games in 2023. My parents were confident that their daughter would achieve something. Now, as the India and Karnataka teams captain, I feel very happy, she says, beaming. Its a similar story for Kavya NR, who was blinded when playing as a five-year-old. She says, My parents were afraid that I would get hurt and worried about how I would manage until I got the National Award in 2018 for wall climbing. She started playing cricket in 2019 while studying at Samarthanam Trust. She adds, I stuck with cricket because I wanted to represent India; seeing cricketers receive Arjuna awards too inspired me. For both girls, cricket became a passion, a purpose and a way to support their families. Zeal to Succeed The team has been practising for a month leading up to the World Cup under Deepikas captainship. She was instrumental in Indias 209-run win against Australia, having scored 91 herself. She compares her style to her favourite player, Virat Kohli. On the field, Im very aggressive. I think we have that in common. Im always thinking that we should give our 100 per cent, so whenever someone misses a catch, I scold them, even the senior players, she says with a laugh. But this aggression is tempered with a democratic spirit as she adds, It requires a lot of communication to coordinate among players who have different levels of blindness. But, since most are seniors who have been captains themselves, we discuss everything before making any decision. Having three players from Karnataka is a matter of pride but also pressure for Deepika, as she says, Im always pushing them a bit more because were representing Karnataka. They are definitely putting in the effort. Kavya Venkatesh, playing internationally for the first time, says, The three of us have great coordination together. Deepika is a good player, so thats a bit of extra pressure for us, but the team and our manager support me a lot, saying, if I didnt play well today, I definitely will tomorrow. Kavya Venkatesh How does blind cricket work? Blind cricket is played in almost the same way as the regular format, with a few key differences. Players are divided into B1, B2 and B3 categories based on the extent of impairment. Bowling is always done underarm and the ball (which makes a tinkling sound) rolls towards the player without pitching. Before the ball is bowled, the batsman gets a heads-up from the keeper. All runs scored by B1 players who are completely blind get doubled in the final score. Deepika TC We were all happy when Jemimah (Rodrigues) didi scored a century. She always encourages us to play well. She and Smriti Mandhana have supported us a lot. We loved her confidence and that she proved herself, especially against a team like Australia. I hope people support us the same way and blind cricket gets added to the paralympics - thats my dream. I want everyone to be familiar with blind cricket. Deepika TC, captain