19 MAY2023B1 Category:· Killaka Sandhya· U. Varsha· Padmini Tudu· Simu Das· Priya· Valasanaini RavaniB2 Category· Gangavva Neelappa Harijan (Vice Captain)· Sandra Davis· Basanti Hansda· Pritiben Desai· Prity Prasad· B3 Category· Sushma Patel (Captain)· Phula Saren· Ganga Kadam· Deepika T C· Jhili Birua· M SatyavathiThe five matches of the T20 series will be played on the grounds of Kathmandu and Pokhara. The women's team has been formed by CABI in collaboration with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to uplift the women players in the game.The T20 National Trophy for visually impaired females was introduced in 2019 and 150 women participated from seven different states. In total three national tournaments were held where Odhisa won the national competition. The brand ambassador for the first competition was Smriti Mandhana, Indian Women's Cricket team vice-captain.The second national competition was won by Karnataka that was held in which 14 state teams participated which had Rajeshwari Gayakwad as its brand ambassador.Odhisa clinched the trophy in the third competition defeating Karnataka. The Captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur has been named as the brand ambassador for India's blind women's cricket team.Some New Rules for the Unique PlayersAs this is a special tournament, the rules for this game are also quite different. The players of the 17-member team are having different stages of visual impairments. Of the six players placed in the B1 category (who are entirely blind), the players in the B2 category are partially blind and the B3 category players are partially sighted.The rules and regulations of the game are also modified but the overall game structure is the same. Both ball and bat will be modified looking forward to the special players of the team.The ball will be significantly larger than a typical cricket ball loaded with ball bearings to provide audible clues.The wickets will be made of metal so that a sound is created when the ball or bat strikes them.The players can only ball underarm.Before the delivery reaches the batter, it must pitch twiceThe field of the tournament will be a bit smaller than in traditional cricket with boundaries that range in length from 45 yards to 55 yards.A Step in the Right DirectionThe very objective of sports is to allow individuals to gain a sense of pride and achievement in their unique abilities. By making the game of cricket inclusive, the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has taken a step in the right direction. It is empowering specially-abled women in India to dream big in life. More power to these sportswomen, may they touch greater heights in the game of cricket and bring laurels to the country as a whole.
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