When we talk about Cricket, we tend to have memorized some particular players and cheer only for them but India being a big country has numerous heroes in the sporting arena.
Today, we will be talking with the great Mr Ajay Kumar Reddy, a World Cup winning captain who brought laurels to the Indian national blind cricket team. He is an enthusiastic sportsperson who picked up interest in cricket during his school days. He belongs to Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and has completed his BA degree before opting for Cricket as his career.
It's not an overstatement by any means to say that he stands amongst the legendary Indian Cricketers.
His achievements:
- He is only the second Indian captain {After MS Dhoni} to win a World Cup in both the white ball formats. (Blind T20 World Cup 2017 and Blind Cricket World Cup 2018)
- He has won more than 50 'Man of the Match' and 'Man of the Series' awards till now.
- In the year 2010, during India & England's Bilateral ODI Series, he was awarded the Man of the Match and Man of the Series in his debut game as well as series.
- In the year 2012 in the first ever T20 World Cup which was held in Bangalore, he scored 4 centuries and was awarded the Best Batsman, Best All Rounder and Man of the Series in B2 category. He represented India in this tournament as the vice-captain and won the title.
- In the year 2014 during the 4th ODI World Cup which was held in Cape Town, he represented the side as the vice-captain of India. He scored an unbeaten 74 runs and also took 2 wickets against Pakistan in the final. He was awarded the Man of the Match on 2 occasions.
- In the year 2015 there was a 3 T20I and a 3 ODI India & England's Bilateral Series held in England, he won the Man of the Series award in both the formats.
- In the year 2016 in the first ever T20 Asia Cup held at Kochi, he lifted the winning trophy as the captain of the Indian side and he was also given the Man of the Series award.
- In the year 2018 there were 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is played between India & Sri Lanka in India. He was awarded 4 Man of the Match and a Man of the Series award including both the formats.
- He also won Man of the Series award in a tri-series featuring India, Sri Lanka and England.
- He played a ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka and won the Man of the Series award in both the formats.
- In the 5th ODI World Cup held in UAE, India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. He led the team to the final which was against Pakistan where he managed to lift the trophy. He scored 62 runs and took 2 wickets in the final and was awarded the Man of the Match.
- Under his captaincy, India won the Asia cup, T20 World Cup and Cricket World Cup.
Let’s have a look at Ajay sir’s journey via the excerpts of his exclusive interview with Bouncer Avenue:
How do you reflect on your journey from 2010 to the present. Also state your journey as a captain?
“It's a great journey to play for India and win so many matches. Enjoyed so much playing with passion and it's been a great journey as a captain till now, leading this side has been an honour for me and I have rejoiced this time with hope to go on in the same manner by winning more matches.”
How do you feel to be only the second captain to win both the white ball World Cups for India ?
“It feels great to be the captain of the team and win two World Cups. World Cup is a big stage and winning this tournament has been a big achievement for me and it is a very special part of my journey. The World Cup is an Olympic level tournament and winning it two times is enormous for me.”
Your debut series came in 2010 against England where you won the Man of the Series, how did you feel?
“That was an amazing series and I was under a bit of pressure too due to it being my debut a bit of nervousness was there but I still managed to contribute some runs and we won the series and it was a tremendous feeling to win the Man of the Series award in my debut series.”
How difficult was it for you to survive this pandemic and what did you do in this period?
“I spent some quality time with my family and enjoyed those precious moments with my kids by playing with them. Sometimes I did practice along with some workouts and exercises to keep myself fit, yeah that's has been the routine for me but mostly I enjoyed this period with my family.”
What are your views on Virat Kohli as a captain?
“He is an amazing aggressive captain and a world-class player. He has won the most matches for India in Tests as a captain and his leadership skills are great and though he has failed in his quest for an ICC event win as a captain but still, he is the best as a captain and as a player as well.”
Who inspired you as a cricketer?
“I like Sourav Ganguly's aggression and MS Dhoni's calmness as a captain. He is so calm and relaxed on the field and that's what inspired me as a captain. His tactics and planning are on point. As a player, Sachin and Dravid's techniques are the things I get inspired from.”
What's your motivation mantra when u get demotivated?
“I try to remember the matches I played especially the World Cup matches and the victories that came are the beautiful moments that get me back to normal once I start remembering them.”
How did you feel when met our PM Shri Narendra Modi?
“The feeling was really proud as he had invited the whole team to his residence after the World Cup win and he even had a talk with us about our game. It’s a great feeling to meet such a personality. Back then everyone used to ask me for my autograph but on this occasion the PM himself asked me for my autograph and that was a really great moment for me. He promised us to support our team in the future and gave his best wishes to all of us.”
He feels visually impaired cricketers should get their dues and he has always campaigned for more support for them. His story is one of inspiration, perseverance, toil and dedication. It shows that if you are willing to defy the odds, you can achieve greatness no matter what life throws at you. He has certainly set up a benchmark for the disabled and the abled people who want to achieve something in life and prove that they are no lesser by any means.
He is a prime example of never giving up on your dreams.
