Mumbai: The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has appointed Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the brand ambassador for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the blind to be held in India.
The India squad list was announced with I. Ajay Kumar Reddy B2 (Andhra Pradesh) leading the team as captain andVenkateswara Rao Dunna B2 (Andhra Pradesh) as the vice-captain. The World Cup matches will commence from 6 December to 17 December 2022.
The participating countries for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the blind are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The opening match will be played between defending champions India and Nepal on 6 December 2022 in Faridabad.
"I am thrilled to be a part of the 3rd T20 World Cup Cricket for the blind as the brand ambassador. I commend and appreciate the spirit of visually impaired cricketers for their passion for cricket and determination to fight everyday challenges. It is a different world, but it is a world of cricket. Cricket has no boundaries. And I believe this game taught me how to fight, how to fall, how to dust myself off to get up again and move forward. So I urge and invite everyone to support this great initiative," said Yuvraj Singh.
The world cup is an initiative of the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, which has been organising this championship since 2012. Samarthanam perceives sports as a way to improve inclusion and encourage people with disabilities on various fronts. Since its inception, the trust has reached out to more than 25,000 visually impaired crickets.
Samarthanam's sports wing, Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), was established in 2010 to foster the cricketing dreams of visually impaired cricket players and to provide a platform to showcase their unbound talent in the game of blind cricket. CABI is a member of World Blind Cricket (WBC).
On having Yuvraj Singh as the brand ambassador on board for the CABI president & founder managing trustee of the 3rd T-20 World Cup cricket for the blind Samarthanam Mahantesh G. K commented: "We are privileged to welcome Yuvraj Singh to the cricket for the blind family. His personality shines through his unmatched energy and commitment to being bold, authentic, true, fighting spirit, and uncompromising quality, which fit with CABI's brand values."
CABI's committee selected the top 56 players who underwent a coaching camp in Bangalore in July. Further assessment by the selection committee led to the choice of the top 29 players who underwent rigorous cricket coaching and fitness assessment in Bhopal for 12 days. The selection committee has now chosen the final 17 Indian squad members for the 3rd T20 World Cup of cricket for the blind. The World Cup will consist of a total of 24 matches to be played in several cities in India.
