India's unsung heros: Shekhar Naik the blind cricketer who won India the world cup

Cricket is a game of eyesight more than anything else. But for Shekhar Naik it is all about the ear. Blindness is hereditary in Shekhar's family. Along with him, there are other 14 visually impaired people in the family. But this didn't let him down.

Shekar was born completely blind in the year 1986 in Arekere village of Karnataka's Shivamogga district. He started his career in cricket in the year 1997. He completed his schooling from Sri Sharada Devi School for the Blind in Shivamogga.

Shekar was never a cricket fan. He was inspired by looking at other kids playing cricket. In 2000, while playing a school tournament, he scored 136 in 46 balls, which got him noticed and was selected for the Karnataka State Cricket Team (Blind). In the final match against Kerala, he smashed 249 runs in a one-day match. With this score, he secured a place in the Indian blind cricket team.

In 2004, the Indian blind team made its first international tour to Pakistan, where the Karnataka-lad amassed his highest international score of 198 runs in Rawalpindi. In a span of two years, the cricketer bagged 7 Man of the Match awards, including two in England.

In 2006, though the Indian team lost the World Cup finals to Pakistan, but Naik was named the Man of the Tournament and the best batsman.

After a string of impressive performances, he was finally made captain of India in 2010. His highest point came in 2012 when his team defeated England to win the first T20 World Cup. Naik scored a massive 134 runs in only 58 balls in the finals. In 2017, he became the first Blind cricketer to be awarded the Padma Shri.

What is the difference between the regular cricket and blind cricket:

The ball used in blind cricket is slightly larger than a normal cricket ball and has quite a few ball bearings inside. The players have to gauge the path of the ball by listening to the sound of the ball bearings moving inside the ball.

Blind cricket struggles for recognition in India:

The right handed batsman strongly feels that the blind cricket must be affiliated by BCCI. Cricket boards of other countries like Australia, South Africa, England, Pakistan and even smaller nations have already recognised their blind cricket, But BCCI, which is the richest Board in the world is yet to grant affiliation to the Cricket Association for Blind in India.

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