EXCLUSIVE | Historic Win: Captain Deepika on India’s First Blind T20 World Cup Triumph, Dedicates Win Against Pakistan to Indian Soldiers

Women’s Blind T20 World Cup 2025 Winner: The women’s blind cricket team created history by winning the first-ever Women’s Blind T20 World Cup, defeating Nepal in a memorable final. In an exclusive conversation with NewsX.com, team captain Deepika, who is a huge fan of Virat Kohli, spoke about her inspiring journey, the emotions behind lifting the World Cup, and the special feeling of beating Pakistan during the tournament. 

She shared how the team worked hard, supported each other, and played with full confidence to make India proud on the world stage.

Excerpts:

Tell us about the moment when you finally won the World Cup.

Winning the World Cup was a huge experience for us. It was our first World Cup, and our whole team worked really hard for it. 
In the end, we made India proud. 

We had five league matches against Sri Lanka, USA, Nepal, Pakistan, and Australia. Our Indian team is very strong and full of all-rounders. Nepal were tough, but we handled it well. We really enjoyed playing against Pakistan, it was fun and intense.

What were the preparations for the big game against Pakistan?

When we saw the schedule, we were all charged up and wanted to give our best against Pakistan. The team really played well and we dedicate that match to India and our soldiers.

Can you tell us about your journey and how did you start playing. 

I was 5 months old when I suffered the injury. I hurt my eye with a fingernail, and doctors said I would never see again. I studied in a blind school. The food and clothes were good there, but I always missed my parents and younger brothers. Then, my PT teacher Mohan Kumar encouraged me to play.

Then in 2019, Shikha Shetty ma’am called me to join blind cricket. My parents were scared because society spoke negatively. We also had no money. But a senior from my school helped me travel to Bangalore. I attended the camp and got selected for Karnataka.

I played in the IBSA World Games in Birmingham and won a gold medal. I also became the captain of the Karnataka team and now the captain of the Women’s Blind T20 World Cup team.

Whom you you look up to as a cricketer?

My father always loved Rohit Sharma and told me, ‘You should also become a captain like him.’ That inspired me a lot. I chose the jersey number 045 myself because in blind cricket, B1, B2, and B3 players have number patterns.

My favourite player is Virat Kohli. I like his attitude and aggression. Whenever I took a wicket, people said they could see Virat’s energy in me.

You also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. How was that experience?

Meeting the Prime Minister was like a dream. I had seen him only on TV. When I met him, I was shaking. He gave us sweets and encouraged us. It was a great experience and I’m really thankful to him that he met the team and appreciated our efforts. 

Lastly, what is that one message that you want to give to the society?

My message is simple: Change your mindset. People with disabilities can also achieve great things. Support children, encourage them. Many more players will rise if they get the right help.