Bengaluru, Nov 13 (IANS): The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in association with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled on Monday announced the squad for the first-ever Women's Bilateral Series for the Blind in India which gets underway from December 11.
The Bilateral series which is to be played against Nepal is supported by Fedfina. India will play 5 T20 Matches at Mumbai from December 11-15.
Indian women’s team is currently the gold medalist at the IBSA World Games beating Australia by 9 wickets. Four players have got a maiden call-up to the Indian women's squad and the players are Simranjeet Kaur (Rajasthan) B2, Sunita Sarathe (Madhya Pradesh) B2, Geetha Mahato (Jharkhand) B3, and Kavya N R (Karnataka) B3.
Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar, Chairman of CABI said, “CABI is proud to announce the first ever Women’s International Bilateral supported by Fedfina in India. Women’s Cricket is just 5 years old but the change it has brought to empower the visually impaired women is tremendous. I strongly believe that cricket for the Blind is a positive tool to empower and transform visually impaired women.”
India, having previously toured Nepal in April and experienced a 1-3 series loss, is determined to turn the tide. The Women in Blue are scheduled to play 5 T20 Matches in Mumbai from December 11 to December 15, 2023. Leading up to the series, the women’s squad will undergo an intensive 22-day cricket coaching camp starting from November 20, 2023, at CBD Belapur, Maharashtra.
The captain and vice-captain of the team will be officially announced in Mumbai on November 28, and the Nepal team is expected to arrive in India on December 10, setting the stage for the inaugural Fedfina Women’s Bilateral T20 Cricket Series for the Blind 2023.
Squad: Varsha U - B1 - Karnataka, Valasanaini Ravanni - B1 - Andhra Pradesh, Simu Das - B1 - Rajasthan, Padmini Tudu - B1 - Odisha, Killaka Sandhya - B1 - Andhra Pradesh, Priya - B1 - Madhya Pradesh, Sandra Davis Karimalikkal - B2 - Kerala, Basanti Hansda - B2 - Odisha, Simranjeet Kaur - B2 - Rajasthan, Sunita Sarathe - B2 - Madhya Pradesh, Sushma Patel - B3 - Madhya Pradesh, M Satyavathi - B3 - Andhra Pradesh, Phula Saren - B3 - Odisha, Jhili Birua - B3 - Odisha, Ganga Sambhaji Kadam - B3 - Maharashtra, Geetha Mahato - B3 - Jharkhand, Kavya N R - B3 - Karnataka