VIJAYAPURA: Every Sunday, Anil Rathod (30) starts from his village Kerutagi in Sindagi taluk to the Vijayapura district stadium to play the sport he loves the most. Anil, affected by polio, goes to the same stadium located 60 km from his village to practice cricket with other players like him. Despite losing strength in one of his legs due to polio and his movements restricted by the wheelchair, his passion for cricket continues to flourish.
Anil is one of the 25 wheelchair-bound cricketers in Vijayapura district who play the sport under the banner ‘Karnataka State Divyang Cricket Association’. It was formed in 2008 for the differently-abled. In 2020, a separate wing was created for wheelchair-bound cricketers.
“Our wing now has over 120 players across Karnataka. They are dedicated cricketers and participate in all state and national-level tournaments,” says 32-year-old Mahesh Totad, who heads the wing of wheelchair cricketers in the state and is also the captain of the Karnataka wheelchair-bound cricket team.
Mahesh, crippled below his waist due to polio that struck him when he was two, started playing cricket in high school. “I used to play cricket with my friends. I was the only disabled person. I was given a runner to run between the wickets,” he says. But it was in 2016 that Mahesh began playing professional para-sitting cricket and participated in the national championships. It was in 2020 that he ventured into wheelchair-bound cricket. “In 2020, I met MR Mahesh, the state president, and Mahesh Agali, the general secretary of Karnataka State Divyang Cricket Association. Since the association till then had only para-sitting cricket players, they created a wing for wheelchair-bound players in the association and gave me the full responsibility,” Mahesh says.
Hailing from Vijayapura city, Mahesh (32) gets some money from his rented house for his daily needs. “After taking charge, I have been working hard to bring players like me to play cricket. We have 25 people in our Vijayapura group. They live in different parts of the district and are from various walks of life. But all of them have an immense passion for cricket. They are disabled either because of polio or due to some accident. We all practice every Sunday at the district stadium for at least five hours,” adds Mahesh, who has dedicated his life for wheelchair-bound cricket.
Mahesh has participated in national tournaments in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, and even played for Team Hyderabad in the Indian Wheelchair Premier League (IWPL) in Delhi. He, however, regrets that unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the players get huge money during auctions, in IWPL, the players get no money. “All they get is accommodation and food from the organisers. Even the cost of travelling to the venue is borne by the players,” he adds.
Despite their enormous passion, the players get no financial benefits or recognition. Their association is not recognised by the government or by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. “Because of this, we do not get any financial assistance or other benefits. We play cricket solely because of our passion. How long can a person continue to play the game by spending money from his own pocket or by seeking help from sponsors,” Mahesh wonders.
The players also don’t have required funds to buy the professional wheelchair that is used by disabled cricket players across the world. “We use the regular wheelchairs supplied by the government to people with disabilities. But they are difficult to manoeuvre as they are designed for slow movement. Professionally designed wheelchairs are made for better manoeuvring, but are expensive,” Mahesh says, adding that ‘Mitra’, a Benglauru-based NGO, provides them with professional wheelchairs during tournaments.
He says the government should provide professional wheelchairs as players cannot afford it. “The sports department should give us cricket kits, which are also costly,” he adds.
But officials from the Sports and Youth Services Department say they are helpless as they have no schemes or special grants to provide wheelchairs or cricket kits to these players.
Undeterred, Mahesh says they will continue to play the sport they love, “We get a sense of satisfaction and a platform to showcase our talent. We will continue playing cricket.”