Andhra: Visually impaired tribal girl to play in Women's T20 World Cup

Hyderabad: In an inspiring story, a visually impaired tribal girl from Andhra Pradesh has been selected to represent India in the first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind, to be held from November 11 to 23.

A Class X student at the Government Blind Girls’ Ashram School in Visakhapatnam, P Karuna Kumari, has overcome remarkable odds to earn her place on the national team, reports BBC Telugu.

Born to farmer parents from a small village in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Karuna Kumari follows the cricket ball by its sound and hits with perfect timing.

During the selection match held in Bengaluru, the teenager stunned her selectors by scoring 114 runs in just 70 balls.

Her principal D Vijaya, describes Karuna Kumari as a shy girl but a quick learner. “When she joined, she had no clue of the rules of the game. But now, she has mastered the game,” she said.

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“We are proud that she has been selected from our school, and prouder because she is the only one from Andhra Pradesh selected to play in the national team,” the principal said.

“My parents told me to play carefully and return victorious,” she says with a beam.

India and Sri Lanka are jointly hosting the first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind. The tournament will kick off in New Delhi with an inauguration and five matches (November 11–13), followed by four games in Bengaluru (November 14–16). Colombo will stage the concluding leg, hosting 15 matches including the semi-finals, final, and the closing ceremony on November 23.

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