The remarkable journey of the Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team, winners of the inaugural Blind Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, took centre stage at ZEE Samvad with Real Heroes 2026, where the team was felicitated for its courage, resilience and transformative impact. The world champions were honoured with a special Zee News award presented by Baba Ramdev, celebrating a triumph that has redefined women’s para-sports in India.
Managed by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), the team comprises players from B1, B2 and B3 categories, representing fully blind, partially sighted and better-vision athletes. India remained unbeaten throughout the World Cup in Sri Lanka, defeating Pakistan and Nepal before clinching the final against Nepal in Colombo with a commanding seven-wicket win.
The squad includes standout performers such as Simu Das (Delhi, B1), who scored a match-winning 86 in the final and was named Player of the Match, Anu Kumari (Bihar, B1), Jamuna Rani Tudu, Anekha Devi, Basanti Hansda, Simranjeet Kaur, Sunita Sarathe, Parvati Marandi, Kavya, Phula Soren, and Durga Yevle, under the leadership of Captain Deepika T C and Vice-Captain Ganga S. Kadam. Team manager Shikha Shetty has played a crucial role in shaping the side.
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During an emotional interaction with writer and lyricist Manoj Muntashir, the players opened up about their personal struggles and journeys beyond the cricket field.
Captain Deepika T C spoke about her childhood hardships, saying:
“My parents faced immense financial struggles. There was a time when we didn’t even have enough food to eat. Doctors told us during my operation that there was no guarantee my eyesight would ever return. We survived on spoiled fruit at times.”
Recalling her early years, she said:
“I joined a blind school between Classes 4 and 7. Our village lies on the Karnataka–Andhra border—my village is technically in Andhra, but the school was in Karnataka.”
“At the blind school, I finally got good food and proper facilities. When I realised I was getting meals there, I cried—not out of happiness for myself, but wondering whether my brother back home was getting enough food. That itself felt like a blessing.”
Deepika described discovering blind cricket almost by accident.
“In Classes 8, 9 and 10, we used to play four or five sports. I didn’t even know what blind cricket was what kind of ball is used or how it’s played. Then one day, I scored a century in a match.”
“I was behind in studies, but I was always ahead in sports.”
Talking about her selection struggles, she said:
“In 2019, when the first women’s blind cricket team was formed in Karnataka, Shikha ma’am called me for selection. My parents refused. They said, ‘You’re a girl, how will you go alone?’ People in the village would talk where she went, with whom, all of that.”
“My father didn’t even have ₹200 at that time. Mohan bhaiya, who had studied with me earlier, said, ‘I’ll take care of all the expenses.’ He took me to Bengaluru, and that’s where I got selected.”
“I believed I would give my match fees to my parents so they could buy ration.”
“Since childhood, my biggest dream was to become an IAS officer and help people.”
“After we won the gold medal in Birmingham, my parents finally appreciated me.”
On leadership, she added:
“I initially said I didn’t want captaincy I thought I shout too much. Even during practice, I used to scold players a lot. I follow Virat Kohli closely; I’ve learnt that leadership sometimes means being strict.”
Teammate Phula Soren shared her transformation:
“People used to taunt me and say, ‘What will a blind girl even do?’”
“Earlier, no one asked about me. Now, when I go back home, people ask about me with respect.”
“When my father goes to the market to buy vegetables, people say, ‘He’s Phula’s father.’ That makes me feel incredibly proud. Those who once mocked us have completely changed.”
Vice-captain Ganga S. Kadam spoke about loneliness and acceptance:
“I have eight sisters seven are sighted, and I’m the only one who is blind. I never complained to God, but I often wondered why this happened to me.”
“There was no one blind in my family or even in my village. I felt very alone.”
“When I joined a blind school, I finally felt happy—because everyone was like me. It felt like a family.”
“As a child, I often wondered why I was blind. Today, I know my purpose.”
By honouring the Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team at ZEE Samvad with Real Heroes 2026, Zee Media once again reinforced its commitment to celebrating real heroes women who have turned adversity into strength and rewritten what is possible in Indian sport.