Blind cricket seeks BCCI affiliation

NEW DELHI - As the blind cricket team leaves on a 10-day tour of England, the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI) Monday again sought affiliation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to provide better training facilities to the team.

Chief coach P. Chandrashekhar said that ACBI is taking all possible attempts to seek affiliation for the third time.

“We tried twice at the time when Jagmohan Dalmiya was the BCCI president but nothing happened. Now with a new president in Shashank Manohar, we hope that they will look into the matter soon,” Chandrashekhar told IANS, before leaving for London.

Chandrashekhar said that the team is now being supported by a Bangalore-based NGO called Samarthanam.

“The NGO is also funding the England tour. Due to lack of funds we hardly get to play matches. We need BCCI help to go on foreign tours regularly which will give us good exposure,” he said .

The team is scheduled to play two 40-over and as many T20 matches against England. On the last tour, three years back in 2007, the Indians whitewashed the hosts 5-0.

Chandrashekhar is confident that his team would be able to replicate the 2007 performance.

“I am very confident. We will come back with a clean sweep. The team looks in good shape. We have a balanced team,” he said.