CABI
About CABI
CABI – Cricket Association for the Blind in India is the Apex Body Governing, Organizing and Developing Cricket for the Blind in India and has 30 State/UT Boards and over 25,000 Players affiliated at various domestic level tournaments in India. CABI is affiliated to World Blind Cricket Ltd (WBC) and is the Cricketing Arm and Initiative of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled.
CABI organizes tournaments at District, State, Zonal and National levels. It helps the local bodies to organize local level tournaments to spot talent, develop teams of coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, umpires and other team support personnel.
CABI is also working on increasing awareness on Cricket for the Blind. By promoting the game, CABI believes that it will be a great inspiration for the visually impaired population of the country and a reminder that the real disability is only in the mind and nothing is impossible. This attitude shift required in their lives is achievable through Cricket for the Blind and eventually would help them integrate into mainstream, for which the Success of this World Cup and a large visibility as one of its attributes assumes paramount importance.
CABI was conferred the responsibility of organizing First ever T-20 World Cup and the outcome was appreciated by public and media. The association is looking forward to further support from various quarters and for improved execution of Cricket Championships every year.
CABI is the cricketing arm and Initiative of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, a National Award winning NGO, working towards facilitating opportunities to enable people with disabilities and the underserved to keep pace with the rest of the society by providing quality education, accommodation, nutritious food, vocational training and placement based rehabilitation.
As Sports was one of the major initiatives at Samarthanam, the organization took over the responsibility of organizing Cricket Tournaments for the Blind in 2010. Consequently ‘Cricket Association for Blind in India’ (CABI) was formed.Cricket veterans like Dilip Vengserkar, Syed Kirmani , Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Chris Gayle, Arjuna Ranathunga and Adam Gilchrist extent their support for Cricket for the Blind.
CABI strongly believes that visually challenged too have all the right to be a part of sporting glory. Cricket for the Blind is a magnificent display of how the visually challenged triumph over all challenges of life and channel it through cricket. All through the journey of taking cricket for the blind to greater heights, CABI is grateful for all the support and encouragement received from various verticals. We seek further unfaltering support from one and all to keep the game on the go!
Objectives
CABI was formed with an objective to use competitive cricket to enable the visually impaired look at life positively, gain confidence and strive to be winners and to broaden their outlook by travelling across the country and abroad. CABI envisions to establish a strong cricketing ecosystem exclusively for Visually Impaired in the country with Independent Training and Development Infrastructure, Coaches and Support Staffs, Exclusive Stadiums & Grounds, and Player Contract Remunerations.
Goals
- To provide opportunities to the visually impaired to exhibit their skills before a larger audience, and to create awareness among the public about the abilities and talent of the visually impaired.
- To organize a regular domestic calendar with coaching camps, tournaments at various levels as well as bilateral series and overseas tours.
- To create a strong network and infrastructure by taking on board active local bodies and blind schools, formulate guidelines and monitor.
- To help state local bodies to organize tournaments to spot talent. Form teams with coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, umpires and other personnel
- To work towards getting support and affiliation from BCCI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
REMEMBERING SP NAGESH
SP Nagesh, Co-founder of Samarthanam Trust and Founder President for CABI, was the major drive behind initiating Blind Cricket and promoting the game. He was a cricket enthusiast and committed towards taking cricket to greater levels. His dedication towards popularizing Blind Cricket was remarkable. CABI will long remember his efforts put towards encouraging cricket for the visually impaired and the plethora of tournaments organized under his administration.
Under CABI’s administration, Indian team hoisted the winning trophy in the India-Pakistan series 2012, First ever T-20 World Cup tournament 2012, 4th One Day International World Cup Championship in Cape Town, South Africa 2014 and First ever T-20 Asia Cup 2016. India is the only country which has the record of being champions in all the international formats.
CABI was formed with an objective to use competitive cricket to enable the visually impaired look at life positively, gain confidence and strive to be winners and to broaden their outlook by travelling across the country and abroad. It gives them a chance to interact with people from various cultural backgrounds and use the game as a platform to showcase their ability and talent.
