Indian Women's Blind Cricket team to play five T20s against Nepal from December 11

Varsha Umapathi will lead the Indian Women's Blind Cricket team in a five-match T20 series against Nepal. The first match is going to be played on Monday, December 11, at Police Gymkhana.

The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) announced an 18-woman squad on Tuesday, November 28. Phula Saren will be Varsha's deputy in the series. Varsha led India to a gold medal in the finals of the International Blind Sports Federation World Games 2023 in Birmingham and will hope to bring more laurels for the country in unison with her teammates.

"This is the first-ever Women's International Bilateral in India. City of Dreams is the best place to organize these matches dreaming that our women cricketers will get massive support and go on to become the torchbearers of Cricket for the Blind. We welcome the team from Nepal and may the best team win," President of the CABI, Buse Gowda said ahead of the series.                 

Anila Rajneesh, who is the Chief Human Resources Officer of Fedfina noted that this one-of-a-kind series will serve as an inspiration for people to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams.

"We take great pride in extending our support to the inaugural International Cricket Series dedicated to visually impaired Women Cricketers. We firmly believe that this series will serve as a powerful source of inspiration for numerous aspiring individuals, empowering them to conquer obstacles and pursue their dreams. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Samarthanam Trust for the disabled and CABI for granting us the chance to collaborate with them, as we collectively work towards establishing a solid foundation that ensures Cricket is accessible and inclusive for everyone, Anila mentioned.

Phula Saren and I are honoured to continue as VC and captain: Varsha Umapathi

Varsha was happy to have been allowed to continue as captain of the India team and said she is confident that the players will be giving their best in the series against their neighbours.

"Once again I am given the responsibility to lead the side and both Phula and I are honoured. We are sure that the team will give the best and new records, new players, and new dreams will be dreamt through this series taking this game to the next level," Varsha stated.

Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar, who is the chairman of the CABI wished good luck to both teams in a recent event where the new jersey of the Indian team was launched.

"I thank FedFina for joining hands with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled and CABI in promoting Cricket for the Blind. May this partnership help us in providing holistic development to our visually impaired cricketers.

The Indian team lost 1-3 to Nepal in a previous series in April. They will look to exact revenge during the upcoming series. Varsha and Co. are currently preparing for the assignment as they are involved in a 22-day cricket coaching camp at CBD Belapur, Maharashtra which started on November 20, 2023. Meanwhile, the Nepal team is expected to arrive in India on December 10.

India Women's squad: Varsha Umapathi (C), Valasanaini Ravanni, Simu Das, Padmini Tudu, Killaka Sandhya, Priya, Sadra Davis Karimalikkal, Basani Hansda, Pritiben Desai, Simranjeet Kaur, Sunita Sarathe, Sushma Patel, M. Satyavathi, Phula Saren (VC), Jhili Birua, Ganga Sambhaji Kadam, Geetha Mahato, Kavya N R.