Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar came to the rescue of the India wheelchair cricket team after they were struggling for financial aid for their three-match series against Bangladesh, Mumbai Mirror reported.
The former India opener helped them with air tickets and other financial support required for the team to travel to the neighbouring country.
“We’re immensely grateful to Sachin. But for him, it would have been difficult for us to undertake the tour,” said Pradeep Raj, who started the wheelchair cricket in India. Tendulkar also gave the team a pep talk before they left for the series. The team returned to Delhi on May 9 after beating Bangladesh 2-0.
With the first game was washed out due to rain, India won the remaining two games with ease to seal the series.
“Sachin’s help has come to our rescue in many ways. Immediately, the financial support has helped us pull off the tour which could have materialised without it. In future it could help us further,” added Pradeep. However, Pradeep said that no help came from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or International Cricket Council (ICC).
Wheelchair cricket is played with 11 players and has the similar rules like regular cricket. However, the boundaries are just 45 metres.
