BCCI Steps In To Sponsor Full Airfare Expenses For India’s Visually Impaired Cricket Squad

Durga Rao Tompaki leads a 17-member visually challenged Indian cricket team that received a send-off on Thursday ahead of the Asia Cup in Dhaka from November 15 to 20. India will open their campaign against Sri Lanka on November 15 and will look to reclaim the title they last won a decade ago.

The BCCI has paid for the squad’s return flights from New Delhi to Dhaka. "We believe that cricket should provide opportunities for everyone to participate and excel," BCCI honorary secretary Devajit Saikia said, wishing the team success.

Team And Fixtures

The squad includes players from Gujarat, Delhi, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka. Tompaki will captain the side, while Sunil Ramesh is the vice-captain.

The squad:

- Durga Rao Tompaki (captain)

- Sunil Ramesh (vice-captain)

- Naresh Tumda

- Sanjay Kumar Shah

- Debaraj Behera

- Ashok Reddy

- Praveen Kumar Sharma

- Mukesh Kumar Rawat

- Dunna Venkateshwararao

- Rambir Singh

- Lokesha

- Manish Kumar

- Nakula Badanayak

- Sukhram Majhi

- A Ravi (wicketkeeper)

- Dinesh Rathva

- Deepak

Preparation Backing

The send-off event was organised by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), in association with Samarthanam Trust and its corporate partner CBRE.

CBRE has backed the squad through its CSR programme Ek Pehal. The support covered player selection, coaching, nutrition, fitness, physiotherapy, travel plans and cricket gear.