Apart from prize money, we got no assistance from BCCI: India's disabled team opener Kunal Phanse

Today marks the one year anniversary of India’s disabled cricket team’s triumph at the Physical Disability T20 World Series title in England. However, the financial condition of opening batsman Kunal Phanse and his teammates is not that great.

In fact,14 members of the Vikrant Keni-led squad do not have a job and are struggling to make ends meet.

“Unfortunately, only four of us from that World Series-winning team have jobs. Mumbai-based batsman Ravindra Sante and Nagpur's all-rounder Gurudas Raut are employed with Central Railway and Navy respectively while our wicketkeeper Tushar Paul is a teacher in West Bengal. I work for a private firm in Mumbai. The rest are all struggling," Keni told mid-day on Wednesday.

The most notable of the lot are the side’s opening batsmen – Wasim Iqbal from Jammu and Kashmir, who holds a diploma in Electrical engineering and Maharashtra’s Kunal Phanse, who has done a similar diploma in Mechanical engineering.

Yet, they are currently plying their trade on farms. While Kunal Phanse, 26, travels six kilometres daily to help his parents on their sugarcane farm in Pune’s Jejuri region, Wasim Iqbal, 27, is sweating it out on his family’s apple orchard in Anantnag.

An unsuccessful hip surgery during Kunal Phanse’s childhood damaged his left leg, and Iqbal fractured his right leg at the age of six while playing cricket. But, numerous unsuccessful surgeries also couldn’t stop them from playing cricket.

In fact, the tournament was turned on its head by this pair in the match against arch-rivals Pakistan as the duo put up a 125-run opening stand. Wasim Iqbal smashed a 53-ball 69 and Kunal Phanse scored an unbeaten 55 off 47 balls as India won their last league match by eight wickets.

Indian Physically Disabled (PD) eventually defeated hosts England by 36 runs at the New Road Stadium in Worcester to win the inaugural edition of the six-nation tournament. The other three participants were Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

So close yet so far for Kunal Phanse and Co.

The Indian Physically Disabled (PD) team after winning the tournament last year (Credits: Times Now)

Kunal Phanse revealed how all the players had stayed hopeful of landing good jobs if they emerged triumphant.

"Apart from the prize money [Rs 2.70 lakh each] that we got from the BCCI, we got no other assistance. I have applied to so many private and government bodies and even requested some of the office-bearers of our association—All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC)—to look into the matter, but nothing has come out of it," Kunal Phanse told mid-day.

Iqbal too has applied for an electrical engineer’s post both in the sports quota as well as in the open category, but didn’t get any response.

Former India fast bowler and AICAPC president Karsan Ghavri felt the BCCI should take India's disabled cricket body within its purview.

"The BCCI have been helpful and I hope we get their support in the future too. We have requested them to take our organisation under their wings just like they have done for women's cricket," Ghavri told mid-day.

If the BCCI indeed caters to the request, not only will the current lot get their deserved reward, but it will also inspire the next generation not to give up on their passion, come what may.