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Guntur boy is Indian Blind Cricket team's vice-captain
At first sight, I Ajay Kumar Reddy, could pass off like another upward mobile youth working his way up the ladder.
At first sight, I Ajay Kumar Reddy, could pass off like another upward mobile youth working his way up the ladder. But a closer look reveals his inability to sight things. His left eye is completely blind and he can only see up to two metres with his right eye. Narsaraopet born Ajay is today the vice-captain of the Indian Blind Cricket team that is going to South Africa in November. The Hans India caught up with Ajay at Devnar School for the Blind in Hyderabad to know his rise to the top
Life was one big ordeal for Ajay as he had to push himself much harder to compete with others till he joined the Lutheran High School for the Blind in Narsaraopet, in the seventh standard. The school was known for promoting cricketers and Ajay started playing the game.
The turning point came when a senior blind cricketer, G Nageshwar Rao, informed him about the selections for the then Andhra Pradesh Blind Cricket team that have held at Hyderabad. Ajay was selected for the AP team in 2006 and since then there has been no looking back. In every tournament he participated in, he has bagged the man of the series award. In his very first tour to England in 2010 he won two man of the match awards. He was appointed the vice captain of Indian team in 2012. His 33-ball hundred against England in 2012 in the T-20 World Cup in 2012 which India won is considered one of the best innings by an Indian. Blind cricketers need support
Ajay Kumar is practicing hard for the South African tour and at the same time is looking for financial support from the Andhra Pradesh government. He says, "Unlike Pakistan, South Africa, England and other countries where the cricket boards have recognised blind cricketers, in India the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still has not. Also our match fee is paltry. Blind cricketers too work as hard as normal cricketers and after all we are also representing the country. If we receive support we can do better."
The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has been in talks with the BCCI but there is no positive outcome. In India there are 30,000 blind cricketers vying for a spot and the talent is in abundance.
Ajay who is working for the State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) is however lucky as the bank is supporting him. He says, "I passed the bank test in the visually impaired quota and was recruited in the sports quota after the selection panel saw my achievements. If the bank did not support me it would not have been possible to continue playing.”
He also adds that there was immense help from Dr A Saibaba Goud who is the founder chairman of Devnar Foundation for the Blind.
For now though, Ajay is keeping himself fit and is confident that the team would win the 4th ODI cricket tournament in Cape Town. The Indian team would be taking the flight on November 26 from Delhi.
