Prakash Jayaramaiah

Prakash Jayaramaiah is the Vice-Captain of the Indian team. He is a Wicket Keeper and Batsman. He generally opens the innings for India in international matches. He was inducted into the Indian team in 2010. In his very first international match, against England in England, he scored an electrifying 149. India made a clean sweep in the series, 5-0, and Prakash is proud that he made a difference. He has played 68 matches to date, in which he has scored 47 centuries. He remembers with great excitement the finals against Pakistan in (4th ODI in Cape Town in South Africa). India needed to score 160 runs in 11 overs when Prakash went in to bat. They achieved this with 2 balls to spare. Prakash’s contribution was a hefty 98 runs in 27 balls. He got the Man-of-the-Series award in his category, something that he repeated several times in his international career. In the Asia Cup that was played in Kerala, the finals were against Pakistan again. Set to score 200 to win, Prakash scored an exhilarating 99 not out to help India win the Cup. Difficult targets always spur him to perform. In Bangalore, in the 2nd T20 Wold Cup final at Chinnaswamy Stadium against Pak he scored 99. He has the distinction of scoring 96, 99, 116, 99, and 99, all not out, in the 2nd World T20 series. He has been instrumental for his overall contribution in winning the 3rd T20 World Cup against Bangladesh in 2022 at Bangalore. He recently took part in the IBSA world Games 2023 at Birmingham and won silver. Prakash was born in 1984 to Jayaramaiah and Jayalakshamma in Channapatna, in Karnataka. He was a child with normal vision. When he was about 3 months old, another baby of the same age playfully pierced both his eyes with a sharp pin. He was totally blinded. He bore this condition for eight years. His parents chanced upon a doctor who said that a surgical intervention could help. It did, to some extent. His right eye gained some vision; his left eye did not. Prakash was sent to a Blind school in Ramanagara, the BGS School for the Blind, where he studied upto Class 10. Prakash had always been interested in cricket. He saw matches being played in Ramanagara between teams with normal eyesight and learnt a lot. He listened with avid interest to radio commentaries of cricket matches. His Father was a Lorry Driver, but stopped driving after an accident on the road. His Mother was a tailor, earning some money through stitching dresses for others in the village. Prakash attributes his success in the game to his Mother who encouraged and supported him through the early years to go out and play. He is married and the couple have two lovely children, a boy and a girl. While in Ramanagara, he got an opportunity to play cricket in the Vijay Merchant Cricket School, and went on to play several matches for the next six years, in Ramanagara as well as outside. Around 1998, he was identified by Samarthana as having potential for the game, and they began giving him some assistance to pursue the game. In 2004, Samarthana gave him a job in their organisation, which by then had started to grow in stature as a national organisation. He started as a tele-caller, but now works for Samarthana CABI full time in an administrative position. He says that he wants to pursue a career in Cricket Administration after he stops playing on the field. Which is his most memorable moment? His hundred in 27 balls in his first World Cup. This is still a World Record in Cricket for the Blind. Does he play any other game? Yes, Football is a game he plays sometimes. His main hobby is Singing, Kannada songs of course. In his early youth he was a member of an Orchestra Group in Ramanagara. But Cricket continues to be his passion. You hear a swiish, the umpire steps aside and you see a ball flying to the boundary! That’s a straight drive from Prakash, his favourite stroke!

• Hometown Karnataka
• Category B3