Disabled Cricket: Age no problem! Ravalia wants to lead India at 47

Saurabh Ravalia cuts one during an inter-zonal T20 championship match at Oval Maidan match yesterday

At 47, Saurabh Ravalia is not only optimistic of playing for the country, but is also keen on captaining India's disabled cricket team in the first Physical Disability World Series in England.

Ravalia, who led India against Afghanistan in a two-match ODI series that ended 1-1 in Greater Noida last December, helped West Zone beat North Zone and East Zone in the Inter-Zone T20 Championship by 16 and 22 runs respectively yesterday. Civil engineer Ravalia, who is the West Zone skipper, scored 29 and 26 respectively.

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Good rapport

"As I have been playing for the country for so many years, I have good relations with the players and they like to play with me. It's an advantage for me. I am optimistic of leading India in the World Series. I have maintained my fitness and even at 47, I can play every game with great intensity. But as there is competition for places in the team, there is also competition for the captaincy post. Everyone is trying their best," Ravalia told mid-day yesterday.

Speaking about India's chances in the World Series to be held in England from August 3 to 13, Ravalia said: "The Indian team members are tremendous. We just need to play as a unit. We come from different cultures and do not play together often, so it's important to play as a team."

Ravalia is facing competition from India's current T20I skipper Swapnil Mungel, 19 years his junior. Mungel led India to a 2-1 T20I series win over Afghanistan last December. "I'm optimistic of leading India in the World Series. The wickets and weather conditions in England will be challenging, so we have to give our 110 percent there," said Mungel, 28, a middle-order batsman and left-arm spinner.

The third cricketer in the captaincy race is North Zone skipper and pacer Dinesh Kumar Sain. Experienced Sain, 31, led India's disabled team in the five-nation tournament held at Bangladesh in 2015 where they finished fourth.

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'Balanced side'

"We have a balanced side. I am 99 per cent confident of India winning the World Series. BCCI giving us recognition and supporting us is a first step forward. Now, more than one thousand disabled cricketers are actively playing in our country. They have a good skill sets and that will help disabled cricket grow," said Sain.

Percentage issues for India

Percentage of disability criteria is going to play a major role in the Physical Disability World Cricket Series in England. Though the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has allowed players to participate with 15 per cent disability, the Indians are selecting players with disability of 40 per cent or above.

Chairman of selectors Umesh Kulkarni will have to tackle this issue when the former India pacer's committee sits down to select the team on May 20. "For the last 30 years, we are selecting players with 40 percent-plus disability. But as per the World Series rules, England and other teams are selecting players with 15 percent disability. We want to go with our current lot of players, who have 40 percent disability. It is a concern, but let's see," Kulkarni told mid-day yesterday.

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