Much-awaited T20 International tri-series for deaf hosted by IDCA commences in New Delhi

New Delhi: March 3rd, 2025, The much-awaited T20 International tri series for the deaf kicked off with a grand inaugural ceremony at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi on 2 March 2025. The International deaf cricket teams of India, South Africa and Australia will be contesting in the action-packed tri-series hosted by the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) from 2 to 8 March 2025.

The Indian deaf cricket squad, selected by the All-India Men’s Selection Committee, is led by the captaincy of Virender Singh. The Men in Blue geared up for the major tournament with extensive training and practice sessions under guidance of Coach Dev Dutt and Assistant Coach Susheel Gupta. Coach Dev Dutt expressed confidence on the seasoned cricketers of the Indian squad and extended gratitude to IDCA for their support in organizing and hosting the series.

Speaking about the tournament, President of IDCA, Sumit Jain, said, “This tri-series holds special significance as it showcases the true spirit of the game and will be a nail-biting contest between the deaf cricket teams of three major cricketing nations. While my best wishes are with players from all the teams, I am particularly excited to witness some stellar performances from our Indian squad. This is a major opportunity for our players to establish the team as one of the bests in the world.”

The opening ceremony of the tournament was graced by the august presence of Chief Guests Ms Sakshi Malik – Olympic Medallist and Padma Bhushan awardee, Mr Kaustubh Mani – General Secretary of NRSA, Mr Anand Mohan – IRTS, Sr. DGM & Sports Officer, Delhi Division, Northern Railway, and Special Guest Mr Harsh Vardhan, IPS, DCP, Central District.

Welcoming the players from all the teams and the dignitaries present during the occasion, IDCA Patron Ms Reena Jain Malhotra said, “I have been associated with IDCA as a patron since its inception, and today we are proud to have our presence in almost 20 states across India. Our endeavor has always been to provide a platform for talented hearing-impaired players to develop their skills in cricket, play in national matches and represent India in international tournaments like this.”

Ms Reena Jain further extended gratitude to Mr Jay Shah – Chairman, ICC, BCCI members and all IDCA members for their unwavering support. She also thanked Chief Guest Sakshi Malik for being at the inauguration ceremony to motivate the players and the supporters and partners who have expressed faith in IDCA’s endeavor to promote disability sports.

Ms Sakshi Malik – Olympic Medallist and Padma Bhushan awardee, said, “I am grateful to IDCA for inviting me to witness such a grand tournament. I always take joy in attending any sporting event and promote sports across the country. I wish bests to all the players and hope they have a wonderful tournament ahead.”

On the occasion, IDCA CEO Roma Balwani, said, “This is a massive platform for the cricketers from all the three teams to showcase their outstanding performance and re-establish their nation as one of the bests in the game. With all the players geared up for the highly anticipated actions, I am looking forward for an exciting tournament that will further elevate the standard of deaf cricket in India. Tournaments like this continue to break barriers and create opportunities for hearing-impaired cricketers from across boundaries.”

The T20 International tri series commenced with the opening match between India and South Africa and will feature six league matches before culminating in an exciting final on 8 March 2025. Following the Tri-Series, the Indian Deaf Cricket team will be playing a 3-match ODI series with Australia from 10 to 12 March.

Eminent Guests of Honor who were present during the commencement ceremony included Mr. Surinder Khanna – Former Indian Cricketer, Mr Alok Sharma, ex Education Chairman, MCD, Delhi, Mrs Farida Katgara – Managing Director, Jeena & Company, Mr. Vipun Jai – Director, Ethics Group, Mr. Keku Gazdar – CEO, Aarohan Communications, Mr. Anil George – Actor. Known for his performance in the film Uri, The Surgical Strike, Mr. Ajay Swami – Vamdev Construction & Developers, Mr. Pratik Puri – Head of Cricket Academies, Delhi Capitals, Mr. Kamal Jeet & Mr. Kunal Gupta – Hero MotoCorp, and Mr. Jitender Tanwar – Stadium in charge.

Squad India Deaf: Virender Singh – Captain (Himachal Pradesh), Umar Ashraf-WK (Jammu & Kashmir), Abhishek Singh (West Bengal), Akash Singh (Haryana), Yashwanth Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), Sanju Sharma (Rajasthan), Santosh Kr. Mohapatra (Odisha), Kuldeep Singh (Haryana), Vivek Kumar (Haryana), Sudarsun E (Tamil Nadu), Krishna Gowda-WK) (Maharashtra), M. Shramith, (Karnataka), Sibun Nanda (Odisha), Ankit Jangir (Rajasthan), Sharik Majeed (Jammu & Kashmir).

Support Staff: Viral Jain – Manager, Dev Dutt – Coach, Susheel Gupta – Assistant Coach, Imran Ali – Trainer, Arif Khan – Physio & Sharad Mudgal – Interpreter (ISL), Ravi Kant Bhatt – Batting Coach