The Board of Control for Cricket in India will award Rs 1 crore to the World Cup-winning blind Indian cricket team, reported Times of India on Saturday. The Indian cricket team beat arch-rivals Pakistan by nine wickets at the M Chinaswamy Stadium to lift the Twenty20 World Cup for the Blind title for the second successive time in Bengaluru on February 12.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators. The four-member COA headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai and which also includes cricket historian Ramachandra Guha, managing director of Infrastructure Development Finance Company Vikram Limaye and former Indian women’s cricket captain Diana Edulji took the decision on February 25 in Mumbai. The prize money will be given to the Cricket Association for the Blind in India, who will then pass it on to their players.
“It’s a fabulous gesture. It’s not the money that matters, but the recognition,” said Patrick Rajkumar, the coach of the team. CABI president GK Mahantesh said, “Getting this kind of announcement and commitment from BCCI means a lot to us. My heartfelt thanks to the new team to have taken this decision. We took loans to organise the World Cup.”