The captain of the Indian deaf and mute cricket team, Imran Shaikh, has recently opened up a chaat stall at the Old Padra Road street of Vadodara. However unlucky it may seem to be, but it’s the harsh reality of the nation where the sport of cricket is considered to be a religion. It was just 10 years ago when this brilliant cricketer played a crucial role in the Indian team’s win in the deaf and mute Cricket World Cup. He scored three match winning knocks of 70 against Nepal, 60 against New Zealand and 62 against Pakistan, which were followed by a valuable knock of 40 runs and three wickets against England to help India claim the title.
He became the captain of the Indian team three years ago and also led the team in the Asia Cup T20 Tournament this year. Destiny has brought him on the verge of selling kachoris for a living. It wasn’t his willful decision but just the need of the hour for him. While talking to a newspaper in sign language, he expressed – “Cricket is my passion and I want to keep playing. But my financial condition is not good enough to support my family. Playing deaf and mute cricket matches doesn’t earn me much money. So I started a nutritious kachori stall with the help of my wife Roza for earning extra income. I also got a temporary job in Gujarat Refinery, thanks to my coach Nitendra Singh.”
It has been seen that many residents of Vadodara are patronizing the kachori stall. Imran Shaikh’s wife seemed to be pleased and said, “We recently moved out of our family house. Barodians have been very supportive and are queuing up to eat at our stall. We would be glad if the local government helps us get a permanent place for our eatery.”
