Impaired kids in Pune have ‘vision’ for Team India

On Wednesday, the mood in the main hall of the Poona School & Home for the Blind (PSHB) in Koregaon Park, was electric, to say the least. As many as 50 visually impaired, cricket-loving students had crowded around the lone television set in the school to catch up with the excitement of the Indo-Pak World Cup semifinal match being played in Mohali.

Loud cries of “Jitega bhai jitega, India jitega” rent the air as opening batsman Virendra Sehwag smashed the first boundary off Pakistani strike bowler Umar Gul. The cries got louder as Sehwag went after Gul with a vengeance, hammering five fours in one over.

A visually impaired student, Sharukh Faruqee, told DNA, “I am sure India will win this match. In the last match, Yuvraj Singh played a great innings and picked up two key wickets of the Australian team.” However, it was clear that Sachin Tendulkar was the students’ favourite.   

The boys had presented a broken bat to Tendulkar in January as a good luck talisman (DNA, Feb 20). The students were confident that the Mumbai batsman would play a match-winning knock today.

The excitement was, therefore, palpable when Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal beat Tendulkar twice in one over. When there was a leg before wicket (LBW) appeal against Tendulkar and a review was ordered, most students were seen praying with folded hands.
When Tendulkar was given a reprieve, the boys began dancing with gay abandon before the television set.

The students feared Pakistani batsman, Misbah-ul-Haq the most, as he had played a great innings against India in the 2007 T20 World Cup finals. Gajanan Shinde, a class IX student, told DNA, “Misbah is a player who can change the face of the game. Pakistani spin bowlers are also very good.”

While most students preferred the television, there were some who were glued to the radio set. Aarya Magar, a girl student said, “I like listening to the radio. I like Sachin very much.”

According to PSHB hostel superintendent, Ashok Mahajan, the students, who are cricket aficionados, pray for the well-being of the Indian cricket team every morning. “We are amazed by their zeal for the game,” he said.