Bengaluru, May 29: Seven Odia players have been named among 30 women blind cricketers of India for the selection trials to be held in Khordha from June 6 to 10. The list of players was announced by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled.

The selected players from the state are Padmini Tudu, Jamuna Rani Tudu, Basanti Hansda, Rachana Jena, Phula Soren, Jhili Birua and Muni Purty. The top 30 players were selected based on their performance in the last two years' national tournaments.

The players will compete to find their place in the top spot to represent the country. The selection committee of CABI will then select a 17-member squad with 3 reserved players to represent the country for the year 2024-25.

The 30 players have been playing national tournaments for the last 4 years and the women’s national for the blind has provided an opportunity to the players to find ways to exhibit their cricketing talents. CABI has been working throughout India to promote cricket for the blind women to empower and transform them by building an inclusive society through cricket for the blind.

Commenting on the selection trials chairman of CABI Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar said “The continuous hard work of CABI and all the state boards have helped in creating this platform for the blind women to represent the country through cricket for the blind. We formed the women’s team in 2023 and we have found a lot of success through last year’s performance in the IBSA World Games by securing the gold beating Australia by 9 wickets and winning the first ever international bilateral series in India against Nepal by 4-1 lead.”

The 5-day selection trials will be held at IIG Sports Academy KT Global School Khordha Bhubaneshwar and each player will be evaluated based on their performances during the selection trials. CABI has appointed 4 observers who will submit the report to CABI selection committee and then the committee will announce the 17-member squad with the additional 3 reserved players for the year 2024 to represent the country in the upcoming events.

“The top 30 players come from 11 states of India and this is an opportunity for the players to learn from each other which helps each individual to find better exposure through cricket for the Blind. Cricket for the Blind is a positive transformative tool to empower and transform these cricketers to be powerful individuals to inspire the millions across the globe.” said Buse Gowda, president of CABI.

Selected players' list:

Varsha U (Karnataka), Valasanaini Ravanni (Andhra Pradesh), Simu Das (Rajasthan), Padmini Tudu (Odisha), Killaka Sandhya (Andhra Pradesh), Priya (Madhya Pradesh), Saloni (Rajasthan), J Chandrakala (Andhra Pradesh), Jamuna Rani Tudu (Odisha), Nandni Kalam (Madhya Pradesh), Sandra Davis Karimalikkal (Kerala), Basanti Hansda (Odisha), Simranjeet Kaur (Rajasthan), Sunita Sarathe (Madhya Pradesh), Pritiben Desai (Gujarat), Mainka (Delhi), Bimla Sandil (Jharkhand), Rachana Jena (Odisha), Noori (Delhi), Deepika T C (Karnataka), Sushma Patel (Madhya Pradesh), M. Satyavathi (Andhra Pradesh), Phula Saren (Odisha), Jhili Birua (Odisha), Ganga Sambhaji Kadam (Maharashtra), Geetha Mahato (Jharkhand), Kavya N R (Karnataka), Muni Purty (Odisha), Pratima Ghosh (West Bengal) and Ramya Chodipilli (Andhra Pradesh).

(IANS)

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