Blind but Unstoppable: Meet the Inspiring Women of India’s First Blind Cricket Team
Image Source: Mint
A 13-year-old girl from Odisha, Jhili Birua, has made history by becoming the first woman to join the Indian Cricket Team for the Blind. Jhili, who is an orphan and works as a bricklayer to support herself, will be traveling to Nepal next week for a T20 series along with other team members.
The Indian women’s cricket team for the blind is a mix of players from diverse backgrounds, with varying levels of vision impairment. Sushma Patel, a 20-year-old partially blind cricketer from Madhya Pradesh, will be leading the team. Sushma had a tragic accident when she was six years old, where a wooden arrow pierced her right eye, leaving her with partial blindness. Despite the odds, cricket became a lifeline for her and helped her realize her father’s dream of playing cricket.
Jhili, who lost her mother when she was three and her father in a fatal accident in 2020, had to leave school due to a lack of required documents for enrolment. She now works as a bricklayer during the day and practices cricket in the evening. Despite the hardships they have faced, both Sushma and Jhili remain optimistic and determined to succeed. They hope that their selection in the team will help break stereotypes and narrow-minded attitudes towards women in sports in their respective villages.
The Indian women’s cricket team for the blind is a significant step towards promoting inclusivity and gender equality in sports. While men’s cricket for the blind has been around for over two decades, the inclusion of women’s cricket is a welcome move.
Re-reported from the story originally published in Mint
