Visually Impaired teen in WC Squad

Ranchi: With his heavy bat and signature helicopter shot, Mahendra Singh Dhoni gives sleepless nights to many bowlers in world cricket. But a 15-years-old Ranchi lad claimed the Indian captain will not stand a chance against him. Golu Kumar said he can send Dhoni packing if given a chance to bowl. His extraordinary assertion cannot be ignored, for this visually impaired teenager will don India shirts to take on the world in the ODI World Cup Cricket for Blind, to be played in South Africa from November 24.
Kumar, a right arm bowler and middle order batsman made it to the 14 member Indian team for this year’s edition of the tournament that is designed for partially and permanently visually impaired cricketers. In doing so, he became the youngest player to be a part of the team and the only player from Jharkhand after Ravi Shastri of Jamshedpur, who was roped in as a substitute player in 1998 but did not play a game.
Started in 1998, World Cup Cricket for Blind aims to unearth the cricketing talents among visually impaired and encourage them to a better life. The tournament is recognized by the world blind cricket council (WBCC) and is participated by all the major Test playing nations that include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, South Africa, Bangladesh and the West Indies.
Seated on his bed in the dormitory of St Michael’s School for Blind in Ranchi, Kumar divulged about his fondness of Indian southpaw Yuvraaj Singh and dreams of receiving bowling tips from Ishant Sharma. “I would also ask Sachin Sir to help me in batting,” he said. School authorities hope Kumar’s success would inspire others to take up sports. “His success stands testimony to his will power and hard work. We hope that the energy flows into the rest,” said T P Agarwal, the principal of the school.
“Kumar was roped in after his performance with the ball against Australia in a T20 game in Bengaluru earlier this year,” said Cricket Association for Blind in Jharkhand (CABJ) president Vivek Singh.
“Kumar was first taken note of in the state championships organized in 2013 for his bowling. He was later picked for Jharkhand team that reached the finals in the national games. The lad was picked for India’s tour to Pakistan earlier this year for three T20 games but could not make it for not having passport,” he added.