India’s laudable performance at the Rio Paralympics 2016 exemplified the fact that physical disability can be triumphed with dedication and mental strength.
The case with 18-year-old cricketer Shradha Vaishnav is no different.
Despite being hearing and speech impaired, Shradha has achieved the rare feat of making it to the Chhattisgarh women’s cricket team, thereby becoming the first physically challenged player in a regular women’s team in the country, says a Times of India report.
Shradha, who belongs to Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur town, began playing cricket when she was just 13 years old. Though she started off as a medium pacer, she is now a spinner.
Anjan Bhattacharya, a fast bowler, was the first man to have played for a regular state team while being physically disabled.
Playing for Bihar, Anjan, in his debut match in the 1970 Ranji Trophy, had taken seven wickets for just 24 runs – one of the finest bowling performances by a state player.
Shradha was selected for the 15-member state cricket team last week.
Her father Ramesh Vaishnav said that he and his wife were dispirited when they came to know that their daughter was 90 per cent speech and hearing impaired and her condition was incurable.
“When she was 13, Shradha used to watch cricket with her younger brother. One day, she said she wanted to bowl. I took her to a cricket coach who put her in practice sessions. Within a few months, he said she could become a good spin bowler,” Ramesh was quoted by Times of India was saying.
“She has transformed her disability into strength. She focused mainly on her bowling - she was a medium-pacer to begin with, but now she bowls fast leg-breaks,” said Mohan Singh Thakur, coach at the Foundation by Champions Academy in Bilaspur.
Her trainer Anil Thakur said that her achievement has inspired as many as 15 young girls to join the cricket academy after hearing of her success story.
