This blind man is helping the visually impaired play cricket

Like many Indian children, Ravi Wagh loved cricket. When he was five years old, he would be bowler, batsman, fielder, and even the commentator. It made no difference to him that he was blind.

Today, 40 years later, his passion for cricket is the same. A telephone operator based in Pune, Wagh has been elected unopposed for the second time as president of the Cricket Association for the Blind in Maharashtra.

Wagh says his lack of vision was never a problem for his family. He attended the Poona School for the Blind and played cricket with his brothers in his free time. He took part in each tournament for the blind at the college, university, district, state and national levels, and won many medals.

In 1998, he suffered a setback when he was not selected for the national cricket team for the blind. Since then, he has made it a mission to reach out to talented blind players in parts of Maharashtra and send them to the national team for the World Cup.

In 2011, Wagh set up the Cricket Association for the Blind in Maharashtra. He trains and coaches youngsters in Pune. Under his guidance, Dilip Munde from Marathwada made it to the national team for the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012. In 2014, Pune’s Amol Kharche was picked for the World Cup, and earlier this year, Anees Baig was selected for the T20 World Cup. India won all three trophies.

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