Vijay Kumar

If resilience, determination and hard work had a name it would be Mr Vijay Kumar. A 28-year-old Blind Cricketer and a man with a dream and a vision. He never let his visual impairment come between him and his aims. From high school as a new entrant into the arena of cricket he dreamt of playing for India. And the grit he showed to achieve it is inspirational. Today, he is the vice-captain of the Himachal Pradesh team as well as a player on the national team. He lives with mother, father and sister. A high school graduate, having done his 12th grade in Delhi, when not playing, he works in his neighbourhood shop. Vijay has been playing since 2012, the current captain of the Himachal team; Budhram got him into cricket. He has stated that his parents were very supportive of him and his father has attended all his matches to support him in his journey. Even ferrying the young boys to and from cricket practice. His jersey number (13) actually has an interesting tale. He initially wanted the number 143 but due to an error, it became 13. Yet beating the odds has always been this young man’s penchant, and despite the stigma about the luck surrounding the number, Vijay remains a force to be reckoned with on the field. Vijay wants nothing more than to serve and represent his country on the national stage. When pressed further, he stated that he would like to build a school in Kullu District (where he hails from) for the blind as well as an indoor stadium for other aspiring blind cricketers as the terrain in Himachal Pradesh is rough and the weather unpredictable, making playing cricket a harder task than it already is. Vijay stated that as a blind cricketer, life has always been an uphill battle. From travel to financial aid, he stated that the biggest problem faced was the lack of funding towards any development. While the state has occasionally been helpful towards blind cricket, they often don’t have funds to spare, leading to most projects being self-funded. Yet his attitude is that of a winner – positive, fierce and brimming with hope.

• Hometown Himachal
• Education/Qualification A High School Graduate
• Category B2