Prominent visually impaired cricketer, Dipak Mallik who was part of the Indian cricket team which won the fourth Blind World Cup in South Africa last year, rues the pathetic attitude of Government officials towards the visually impaired cricketers. Talking to The Pioneer, Mallik shared the plight of the players like him. He said that while the Central and State Governments provide job quota for other players there is no such provision for the visually impaired players. Mallik informed that the problem is that Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not recognise any blind cricket association.
“There are two- three associations like Blind Cricket Association, which are doing very good work in the field of blind cricket and BCCI should recognise any one of them so that the blind cricket gets a boost in the nation”, he said. Mallik said that three Cabinet Minister were present at Indira Gandhi International Airport to welcome the world cup winning Indian blind cricket team on December 07 last year.
Similarly the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi personally met the winning team and congratulated them for their unique feat against all odd. Mallik said that the Government provided a cash reward of Rs 7 lakhs to every player which was very encouraging gesture. He hoped that the Government would now make provisions to include them in the sports quota category for jobs.
Resident of Bhainslakalan village of Sonipat District of Haryana, Dipak’s world went dark when his eyes were injured by crackers on Diwali. The boy however overcame all odds and resumed his studies. His father is a farmer and mother is a housewife. The family was very supportive and admitted him in Institute for visually impaired in Delhi where he developed inclination towards cricket. Interestingly M P Singh who had coached Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni agreed to give coaching to Mallik after viewing his talent and determination after which the talented boy was able to make his entry in the Indian blind team.