Visual impairment could never deter Odisha’s Md Jaffar Iqbal from focusing on his goal. The talented cricketer made it big after being selected for the National Blind Cricket Team, which won four World Cups.
In 1998, when ‘Blind Cricket’ made inroads into the sporting circle of Odisha, Md Jaffar Iqbal, who was a Std IV student then, developed an affinity towards the game. Despite suffering with blurred vision, he was gutsy to dream big in the field of cricket! As a child, Jaffar was often spotted knocking a small sand-filled plastic bottle with a wooden plank on the school verandah.
Cricket commentaries had a major impact in shaping his goal. He used to hear these with rapt attention, and never missed out on listening to commentaries of ODIs and Test matches. Little did his family members know then, that the young lad was being self-tutored, self-nurtured as a promising cricketer. Jaffar, went on to become an crucial member of the Blind Cricket World Cup winning Indian National team.
Early years
By the 2000, the buzz around ‘blind cricket’ in Odisha had gathered momentum. It was during this period when school cricket tournaments were organised for this special category, the visually-impaired. For Jaffar, these were life-changing developments!
He was getting drawn to the sports more and more. In a bid to fulfill his cricketing dreams, Jaffar started participating in the school tournaments. In 2003, he was made captain of the ‘Bhima Bhoi School for Blind’ cricket team. Later that year, he was also selected for the Odisha State team. Since then, Jaffar has continued to represent the State side, till date.
There was a phase of lull in Jaffar’s life during 2003 to 2007, as not many cricket tournaments for the blind were held in this period. It seemed as if the sport lost its identity amid the glitz around its mainstream form. The former governing body of the sport couldn’t function properly. In 2010, the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) was formed. It became the apex body, which started conducting cricket for blind across India. “At that time, I came in contact with E John David, the General Secretary of CABI. I became the captain of the Odisha team,” recalled Jaffar, who was then given the responsibility of hosting an East-Zone tournament of blind cricket.
Going global
“In 2011, we conducted an East Zone tournament in Cuttack with the help of Institute of Social Work and Research in collaboration with the district administration. This tournament was very important as about 9 players from Odisha, including me, were selected to the East Zone team of India,” he said. Later, there was an inter-zonal tournament the same year for selection of players for the Indian team that would play a bilateral series of blind cricket in Pakistan. Three players from Odisha—Jaffar, Pankaj and Sukhram—made it to the Indian team. That was Jaffar’s first stepping stone in the arena of International Blind Cricket. In November 2011, he played for the Indian team against Pakistan in Lahore.
World Cup saga
The following year brought in huge success for not just Jaffar but the entire blind cricket sporting community of India. In December, 2012, the first T20 World Cup for Blind Cricket was organised and team India—which included Jaffar—lifted the trophy by defeating arch-rivals, Pakistan. “This was the time when people in India got to know that something by the name of ‘Blind Cricket’ exists. Though there were not many rewards or awards given to us, awareness was created among people. Government of Odisha had awarded me with Rs 25,000 cash prize. Thus, with this awareness we embarked on a new journey,” he said. In 2014, Jaffar became the only player from Odisha in the Indian team playing at the 4th ODI World Cup tournament in South Africa. Much to the surprise of sports lovers back home, team India won the 4th ODI World Cup for Blind Cricket by defeating Pakistan in the finals.
“This victory boosted our confidence to a great extent and we couldn’t experience how it feels to being recognized for your efforts. I clearly remember how three Union ministers had come to the Airport to receive us as we reached India with the shining trophy. The Central government also felicitated us at an event, where each player of the winning team was given Rs 5 lakh as cash reward,” he said as his eyes sparkled with joy. In 2016, Jaffar was again the part of Indian team, which won the first Asia Cup for Blind Cricket. The winning streak continued as India went on to win the 5th ODI World Cup at Dubai in 2018.
But of all these matches, what remains close to Jaffar’s heart is his performance against Pakistan in the 2nd T2O World Cup in 2017. “In the final match, Pakistan had scored around 116 in the first 10 overs without any loss. I was considered to be an all-rounder batsman. Prior to the match, I had told the captain in a meeting to utilize me for bowling, if the situation demands. And, I was given the chance to prove my bowling skills that day. I took three wickets in three overs and we were able to restrict Pakistan at 196. We were also successful in chasing the score comfortably and became the winners,” he recollected, who has been a part of the Indian team in all 4 World Cups that it had won so far. Jaffar—who had appeared for the selection trials already—is now hoping for another chance to represent the country again at the 3rd T20 World Cup to be held in India in December.
Difficult days
From financial constraints to lack of proper infrastructure, there were innumerable hurdles on his way. “I lost my father in 2010. My family was dependant on the little pension that my mother received. While my mother paid my mess dues for the hostel, I managed to support my education as well as sporting practice with whatever I earned by playing a few matches or through the scholarship amount. But, cricket is an expensive game. At that time, no one would come forward to support the blind cricketers. For instance, even the most simplest of the willow wood bats would cost around Rs 5,000. But, even that was very expensive for us. So, we practiced using normal bats,” he said, adding that the institutes where he studied didn’t have the proper infrastructure for practicing cricket. “There was neither any academy nor any dedicated ground for our practice. I remember how I was asked to leave the ground, when a bunch of ‘gully cricketers’ came there to play. At that time, I was paying International Cricket. I couldn’t argue with them as they knew nothing about me and I quietly walked away,” he said.
What’s blind cricket?
It is played by visually-impaired or people with blurred vision. Unlike the main sport, a plastic fibre ball weighing 84 grams is used for the game. “Inside the plastic ball, there are ball bearings. Thus, it generates sound. We track the ball listening to the sound. There are 11 players in a match, divided into three categories depending upon their vision—B1 (fully blind); B2 (they can see upto 2 to 4 metres) and B3 (vision upto 6 to 8 metres). In this form of the game, underarm bowling is practiced. Other rules are mostly similar,” explained Jaffar.
Winning streaks
- Jaffar has been a part of the Indian team in all 4 World Cups that it had won so far
- He has represented India in the first Asia Cup in 2016
Words of wisdom
“If you are determined about your passion for the sport, no hurdle can stop you ever. Work hard and get what you want,” Jaffar said.
