India whitewash South Africa in differently-abled cricket; captain thanks MS Dhoni for help

Indian team

Following their 6-0 whitewash of South Africa’s differently-abled team in a bilateral Twenty20 series, Indian differently-abled team captain Ravi Patil expressed his delight on finally getting some recognition and thanked MS Dhoni for being grateful enough to help his team by sponsoring for their kits and being supportive of them.

Captain pleased with recognition

Patil, an unfortunate victim of polio, said: “I must have attended nearly 100 functions as chief guest in and around my area. Earlier no one would ask who I was, so it feels good when people now come looking for me to invite me for their functions. All this is only because of what I have achieved in cricket.

“Achieving something is very important, especially for disabled people. Nobody tells us anything to our faces, but every physically challenged person will tell you that society does not accept us the way you are accepted.”

“I thank my coach Vivek Kadam and other officials at Sainath SC who gave me the opportunity to compete with the world. My father also encouraged me to focus on cricket after he saw that I had the talent. He told me not to worry about polio and just give my best,” he added, giving credit to Sainath Sports Club, affiliated to the Mumbai Cricket Association, for helping him reach greater heights.

Apart from the skipper, who scored a century in the first match, Ravindra Sante also blasted 103 in just 35 deliveries in the 5th T20. Another highlight of the series was Yashpal Sharma, the off-spinner who picked up nine wickets. Sharma was named as the best bowler and also as the Man-of-the-Series. Gurudas Raut, one of the four one-handed players in the team, moved one and all when he managed to smack one over the ropes in the final match of the series.

Dhoni extends helping hand

Speaking further, the 35-year-old, who was the star of the series scoring 310 runs and picking up 8 wickets, thanked Dhoni for helping the team by providing kits.

“We met Dhoni bhai in Nagpur (during the India vs England Test in 2012) and thanked him for sponsoring our kits. He showed how down-to-earth he is by talking to us and even eating snacks with us,” Patil told mid-day.

Ravi Chauhan, general secretary of Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India (PCCAI), said: “Dhoni has been very kind and helpful. He supports us through his charitable foundation. We also have Chetan Sharma (former India cricketer) who guides us all the time. There are also some people who sponsor a few players with airfare and other financial help. Rajasthan Cricket Association is also very supportive.”

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