Special players keep the ball, spirit of cricket rolling on field

COIMBATORE: On a day when Shikhar Dhawan led the Indian team to a smashing victory against South Africa, keeping a nation of cricket- crazy fans glued to the television sets, yet another game of cricket was played back home at Coimbatore albeit without the delirious audience or cheerleaders.
But the difference doesn’t end there. The team of cricketers who were playing a match at a ground in Coimbatore were all hearing-impaired.It was the second edition of the DLF Tamil Nadu Deaf Cricket T20 Cup which had more than 120 participants from Chennai, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, Kaniyakumari, Trichy and Kancheepuram districts.
Though the players were hearing-impaired and communicated through sign language, the rules of the game remained the same as any international T20 match. The voices of the cricket players may not have been heard, but their bubbling enthusiasm more than made up for it. “Passion for cricket drove me to learn the game the hard way. I have been playing cricket for six years but have never had a coach,’’ said S Fareeth, who plays for Coimbatore.
Sathish, another player, said that while much of the game was learnt by observing, the rules and nuances had to be learnt through sign language.
Their coach Libin Christopher, who is also hearing impaired, said that he works hard to make his team understand they are not any less than other players because of their impairment. “I teach them all the rules and regulations and encourage them to do their best,” he said.
Though there was no dearth of excitement and enthusiasm, what affected these players was the lack of audience. “These players are very determined to prove themselves. It would be a great boost if there was an audience to cheer for them,” said T V Sarath Ram, a spectator.
The tournament was organized by Tamil Nadu Sports Council for Deaf, Madurai, and the Coimbatore District Cricket Association. The Virudhunagar district team walked away with the trophy, while the Kanyakumari team came second.