Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy

Ajay Kumar Reddy is the Captain of the Indian Team. He was born on 3rd June 1990 in a village called Macharla in Guntur District in Andhra Pradesh. In an accident in his childhood he lost sight in his left eye. The right eye also was affected and he was slowly losing his sight in that too. Luckily the doctor’s intervention and medical help saved that eye. The doctors advised him to go to a blind school. He joined a blind school in Guntur in 2002, the Lutheran School for the Blind. There he saw other blind children playing cricket and felt that he had now got an opportunity to pursue his passion for cricket. Earlier, in the normal cricket format he could not bat because he could not see the ball clearly. He could only bowl. But in Blind Cricket format he could bat as well as bowl. He warmed up quickly to this format. Blind cricket also afforded him enough opportunities to play in State and National Tournaments and he could possibly play in International tournaments too. Thrilling thoughts! Ajay had found his calling and knew what to do. He got a lot of help from his friend Nageshwara Rao, who unfortunately did not live to see the glory that Ajay achieved in International Cricket. He narrates the tale of how he got into the State Team. One day, Nageshwara Rao told him that selections for the State team were going on in Hyderabad and offered to take him there, all expenses paid. Nageshwara Rao even got all due permissions and documents from the blind school which were required to attend the trials. Ajay badly wanted to go, but was afraid his parents would not agree. So he gave an excuse that he and his friends were doing combined study and so he would not come home for the next few days. A lie for a good cause! And thus Ajay went to Hyderabad, attended the trials and got selected based on his outstanding performance. And Ajay was now in the State team. This was in 2006. He was in 10th Standard. Ajay treasures his memories of Nageshwar Rao and says that but for him, he would not have been in any cricket team. What did his parents say afterwards? Ajay just laughs and says they pardoned him. After 10th, he went to study further to Hyderabad. He had another reason. He did his Plus One here and then joined for Bachelor of Arts degree at Aliya College. This college had a specific hostel for the Blind where many cricketers also stayed. Ajay learnt a lot from his seniors in Batting, Bowling, Field Placement, and so on. This was a good learning and grooming period for him. In the year following his stay in the hostel, Ajay earned a good name for himself from his performances with the bat and the ball. Sometimes he kept wickets too. He went back to his village near Guntur. He had become home sick. After BA he got a job in the then State Bank of Hyderabad, now merged with State Bank of India. He joined in a clerical capacity and was later promoted to Assistant Manager, a post that he is in now . Ajay became captain of the Indian team in 2016 for the Asia cup which India won. The selectors continued him as Captain for all the subsequent tournaments. He is thankful for all the help he has got from so many sources to shape him into what he is now. He particularly remembers his Principal in College who gave him attendance so that he could go and practice cricket. It is a gesture that he will not forget. How is the environment in the dressing room when they are playing? It is very cordial, he says. The players share their experiences and feelings freely and discuss plans and strategies in an open atmosphere. What is the future? Cricket, of course, but in what capacity he doesn’t know. But for now it is Cricket, Job and Playing with his two and a half year daughter whom he adores. Favourite shot? The sweep, he says. He gets most of his runs through that. In bowling he bowls medium fast. Most memorable performance? The 74 he hit in partnership with Prakash, who scored 88, to win the World Cup. Their chemistry works very well on the field, especially in challenging situations. Ajay has successfully captained India and won the various tournaments. Ajay has captained and won 2 T20 World Cups, 1 Asia Cup, Multiple Bilateral’ s. Indian Cricket Team for the Blind participated in the IBSA World Games and won Silver under the captaincy of Ajay Reddy.

• Hometown Andhra Pradesh
• Category B2