NAGPUR: With India comfortably placed at the end of second day's play by taking a formidable first innings lead at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, Australian batters have their work cut out for Saturday. No matter what, they have to bat as long as possible if they wish to save the inaugural Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Given the uphill task awaiting them on Day 3 of the match, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb hit the nets in the morning. As Indian spinners including off-break bowler R Ashwin troubled them in the first essay, they wanted to face an offie.
They got tweakers of their liking but one among them stood out. Gurudas Raut. He suffers with congenital amputation of his left-arm with the parts after elbow missing.
Despite being a medium-pacer, Raut bowled off spin for the Aussie batters. It was a rare sight for the visitors and Labuschagne was particularly impressed with what he had just faced at the Jamtha nets. "Labuschagne was surprised as well as impressed. 'I have never seen a one-handed bowler bowling so well,' he complimented me," Raut told this daily even as he waits for more batters to reach the nets in the afternoon.
India opener Shubman Gill, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper-batters Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat also faced Raut during their respective training sessions. Ishan, whom Raut claimed to have got out twice during the session, was all praise for the bowler. In a video message shared by Raut, Ishan can be heard praising the bowler by saying, "You actually bowled very well. Just keep doing the hard work and ignore the outside noise. Keep bowling the way you have been doing."
It all started during the 2011 World Cup, which eventually hosts India won under the leadership of MS Dhoni. It's been 12 years since Raut has been bowling at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) nets for international teams. "I am really grateful to the VCA and its former president Advait Manohar for letting me bowl at the nets here. I would also like to thank Ravi Chouhan sir, who has been promoting differently-abled cricketers in the country."
In his childhood, Raut had dreamt of representing the country. Fortunately, he has been living his dream by playing for the country in the tournaments being held for differently-abled cricketers since 2012. He was also a member of the national team that won the first ever T20 Physical Disability World Cricket Series in England in 2019.
"My parents always motivated me. They made me brave by instilling that faith and confidence in me. Now I am sharing my experiences including the one I get by bowling to these international cricketers with fellow differently-abled cricketers. The reason why I keep going is that I always consider that my disability is my ability. I always feel I have both the hands," signed off Raut.