To the editor of the Hindu:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I really appreciated the points mentioned in the Open Page article titled "World Cups and some uneven applause"(Dated 21st December 2014) regarding the response that the Indian Blind Cricket Team received from the public and the media when they won the Blind Cricket World Cup recently.
People in India tend to say that there is 'too much focus' on cricket in general by the public, the authorities and the media, but they tend to forget that women's cricket and disabled cricket are much neglected by all three. It is actually only the 'able-bodied men' that are given the focus and attention.
As far as I know, there was not a single news item in any of India's leading newspapers regarding the Indian hearing impaired team winning the Asian Championships for the Deaf in Dharmashala. I was informed of what was happening in the tournament through the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's official fan page on Facebook. The women's team and the disabled teams have to enter every tournament with almost negligible support from the board.
Though the BCCI did well to arrange for the series between Indian women and SA women which included a one - off Test, they still need to support the team more by announcing contracts for them and ensuring that they have more match practice. They are the only women's team in the world that does not have contracts with their board. It is not that Mithali Raj's girls don't have the ability; they just need to be backed by the BCCI.
As a cricket fan, I was delighted when I came to know that the Blind team had won the World Cup. I was thrilled when I came to know that they had chased down 390 in 40 overs, which is not an ordinary feat even by normal standards. However, I was interested to note in an article on a cricket website that 390 in 40 overs isn't an imposing total by Blind Cricket's standards.
Yours Sincerely,
Shruthi S.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I really appreciated the points mentioned in the Open Page article titled "World Cups and some uneven applause"(Dated 21st December 2014) regarding the response that the Indian Blind Cricket Team received from the public and the media when they won the Blind Cricket World Cup recently.
People in India tend to say that there is 'too much focus' on cricket in general by the public, the authorities and the media, but they tend to forget that women's cricket and disabled cricket are much neglected by all three. It is actually only the 'able-bodied men' that are given the focus and attention.
As far as I know, there was not a single news item in any of India's leading newspapers regarding the Indian hearing impaired team winning the Asian Championships for the Deaf in Dharmashala. I was informed of what was happening in the tournament through the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's official fan page on Facebook. The women's team and the disabled teams have to enter every tournament with almost negligible support from the board.
Though the BCCI did well to arrange for the series between Indian women and SA women which included a one - off Test, they still need to support the team more by announcing contracts for them and ensuring that they have more match practice. They are the only women's team in the world that does not have contracts with their board. It is not that Mithali Raj's girls don't have the ability; they just need to be backed by the BCCI.
As a cricket fan, I was delighted when I came to know that the Blind team had won the World Cup. I was thrilled when I came to know that they had chased down 390 in 40 overs, which is not an ordinary feat even by normal standards. However, I was interested to note in an article on a cricket website that 390 in 40 overs isn't an imposing total by Blind Cricket's standards.
Yours Sincerely,
Shruthi S.
