VISAKHAPATNAM: Whenever I hear about the sacrifices of our soldiers for the motherland, I feel a strong desire to contribute to the nation and make it proud. Never did I imagine that I would get an opportunity to represent India as part of the first-ever women’s national team for the blind in a T20 bilateral cricket series against Nepal,” said Ravani Valasanaina, a 17-year-old visually impaired girl from a small tribal hamlet of Rangasingipandu in Hukumpet mandal of Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Ravani, along with 16 others, formed the Indian women’s blind cricket team, making history by competing against Team Nepal in their inaugural international match in April 2023. This initiative was led by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), under the guidance of the Differently-Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI). Notably, the DCCI is the sole body recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for promoting cricket among differently-abled players.
Ravani completed her early education at Netra Vidyalaya in Visakhapatnam, where she received training in both athletics and cricket. She did her schooling in a regular school in Hukumpet till class 5. However, when she lost her eyesight, her parents enrolled Ravani in Netra Vidyalaya, where she had to start her studies from class 3 once again. This year, she successfully completed her class 10 and is currently studying Intermediate at Netra Vidyalaya in Hyderabad.
Netra Vidyalaya is run by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, who provides all kinds of facilities to students. Ravani dedicates at least two hours a day to athletics, including various exercises and a 100-metre sprint. Additionally, when cricket matches are scheduled, she dedicates three hours in the morning and three more in the evening to hone her skills.
“Playing cricket as a blind person is quite challenging compared to regular cricket. We rely heavily on sound and must stay extremely focused. In our cricket, we have three categories -- B1 (completely blind), B2 (partially blind), and B3 (partially sighted). As a B1 player, we can only bowl after getting approval from the wicketkeeper and the batter. Before releasing the ball, we also need to confirm. In the B1 category, every run is counted as a double. For example, a single run becomes 2, a boundary is 8, and a six scores 12. It’s a unique and challenging way to enjoy the game,” Ravani explained.
Sharing her experience, she recalled, “Travelling and playing with my team makes me really happy. Even though I don’t know them well, we are all united in representing our nation through sports. I enjoy their company and playing the game together with them.”
Revealing her goals, Ravani said, “I’m into athletics and cricket, and I want to keep pursuing my passion for sports while focusing on my studies. Whatever our dreams are, we should keep chasing them, and we’ll succeed, even if it takes time.”