The Deepika TC-led Indian team that created history by winning the first-ever Blind Women’s T20 World Cup after beating Nepal by seven wickets in the final at Colombo last month, enjoyed a special interaction with their hero, Sachin Tendulkar, at the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra on Wednesday. And understandably, the girls were at a loss for words in front of him.
Nearly an hour long meet
Tendulkar spent nearly an hour interacting with the world champions and congratulating them for their achievement. The team’s vice-captain Ganga Kadam, who was particularly surprised to learn that the legendary cricketer knew her.
“Like my other teammates, this was my first meeting with Sachin sir too, but I was shocked to learn that he knew me. When my captain introduced me to him, saying that I’m from Maharashtra and the vice-captain of the Indian team, Sachin sir replied: ‘I know her. She scored 41 runs in the World Cup semi-final against Australia.’ I was stunned. He recognised me,” said Kadam, whose knock of 41 helped India beat Australia by nine wickets in the penultimate clash at Colombo.
Sachin’s message
“Sachin sir inquired about our practice routine and told us that he had played a match earlier with blind cricketers. ‘Never give up even if you are not selected for a match or a series, keep playing,’ was his message to us,” added Kadam.
Skipper Deepika revealed she was at a loss for words when the batting great came in front of her: “Sachin sir is the God of cricket, but when he came in front of us, most of us were speechless. He said: ‘I’m lucky to meet all of you. Winning the Blind World Cup is a proud moment for all Indians. Just keep performing like this’. His sheer presence is inspiring. He also gave autographs to all the players and assured blind cricket his full support, going forward.”