Thoothukudi’s S Maharaja, an alumnus of Thiagarajar Arts and Science College, has been selected to represent India in the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games in Birmingham, 2023. Maharaja, who hails from Duraisamy Puram village, lost his vision completely while in Class 3. He continued his education at the Anne Jane Askwith Higher Secondary School and was encouraged to take up blind cricket. Maharaja went on to join the Tamil Nadu team while in Class 11 and was later selected into India’s men’s cricket team, making him the first South Indian to represent India under the ‘fully blind’ category.
While speaking to the press, Maharaja shared his experience, saying that he started practicing cricket in his childhood and made it to Tamil Nadu’s team while in Class 11. He secured 521/600 in Class 12 and pursued BA English at the Thiagarajar Arts and Science College. Encouraged by the college authorities, he continued honing his cricket skills and went on to win several awards, including the Nagesh trophy.
He is a left-arm bowler and an expert in batting, who has brought laurels to his college at several national events and won the ‘Man of the Match’ award numerous times. I faced many challenges in getting sponsorship for sports events. Though I have now been selected to represent World Games for Blind, I have to arrange the necessary kits, including food and other things on my own. People need to support visually impaired cricket players on par with normal cricket players, he added. Maharaja said the Chief Minister, MK Stalin, and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin must support visually impaired cricket players by providing them with government jobs and other benefits.
Reiterating the same, Thiagarajar College Physical Education Director R Selvakumar said Maharaja is an excellent left-arm bowler and an expert in batting too. He has demonstrated his sports skills at the national level and won many accolades.
S Maharaja’s achievement is a living testimony to his never-give-up spirit, and it is a proud moment for Tamil Nadu to watch one of their own represent the country at the world stage.
