ROURKELA: Abhishek Shukla can hit a long ball. He can bowl fast too, clocking 115 km an hour. Well, there is not a thing this 23-year-old cannot do on the cricket field. Born without left hand below the elbow, he is an all-rounder in true sense, in sports and in life too.
Overcoming all odds - physical challenge and financial struggle - Abhishek has now been selected to the Indian disabled cricket team for the upcoming India-Bangladesh series to be held in September. He was picked up at a selection camp of the Board of Disabled Cricket Association, India (BDCI) held from August 4 to 8 at Hyderabad.
Congratulating Abhishek in a letter on August 8, BDCI general secretary K Rami Reddy said he has been selected for all three formats of the upcoming series. The differently-abled Indian team will play one test, three one-dayers and as many T-20 matches.
Abhishek is on cloud nine. “Cricket is my passion and love. My selection has earned me the opportunity to deliver my best and cement my position in the team for a prolonged playing career.” Since childhood, Abhishek used to play with rest of the boys at Rajgangpur’s Adarsh Cricket Club. Coaches Sangram Das, Kishore Koiri and Kuldeep Sharma helped him hone and sharpen his skills.
He caught the attention of BDCI’s Odisha unit around eight years back and since then, he has participated in different tournaments of the association. A fine bat, the 23-year-old is equally an effective bowler, his medium pace spells generate a speed of 110-115 km/hour.
Abhishek hopes that cricket for the disabled gets due recognition to help players flourish. The young cricketer also wishes to get a job immediately to support his struggling family. “My father Shiv Shukla is the sole breadwinner of the family. He works as a crane operator with a private industry in Sambalpur district,” he said.
Abhishek resides in a two-room rented house at Goshalapada of Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district with his father, mother Mithilesh besides sister Salomi and brother Adarsh, both school-goers. He is currently pursing MCom programme through IGNOU distance mode.
Apart from Abhishek, disabled all-rounder of Belpahar in adjacent Jharsuguda district Jagjit Mohanty has also been selected from Odisha to be included in the Indian team. Jagjit (31) is married and has a two-year-old son. He works at Sundargarh’s Hemgir branch of Punjab National Bank. With right hand deformity, Jagjit is a left-hand batsman and leg spinner.