You grow the sport you love, sometimes playing a sport gives you the confidence and the ability to get through the challenges in life. An athlete has many obstacle courses to pass through before turning into a professional and each one uses a different tactic to pass the phase. Some go through it and make sure they leave a trail behind to help others reach the same place.
In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Rahul Ramugade, Indian Wheelchair Cricket Player and national para swimmer talks about wheelchair cricket in India, reaching out to organizations about the sport, playing in the Asia Cup and his future goals.
Q1) When did your journey with cricket begin and how did you come across it?
As we are a cricket crazed nation, I used to watch the game from childhood through the television and also play in our society. I would join in my skateboard, i used to use crutches and calipers to walk. I also used to swim from school days but did not know I would go and win state and national medals. I became a professional para swimmer in 2015 and it helped me gather contacts who were playing many para sports. I connected with people who were into wheelchair cricket and the journey started from there in 2017.
Q2) What kind of lessons did you gain from playing against Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan? Which opponent was the toughest to play against?
We got to know about the players, how they play and I learned from every team we played. I learned the batting stance, how to set up the field and a few bowling techniques. Nepal was very efficient in fielding and they took more risks in singles instead of boundaries which showed us how to manage the run scoring.
Pakistan started wheelchair cricket so they were the best in the event and have been gathering support for the game. We gave a tough fight in the league by winning the match, but unfortunately they beat us in the final. The 2019 Asia Cup was a huge tournament and playing against the international teams gave us the much needed lessons.
Q3) Since you are also a para swimmer, what are some of the changes you want to see in the sport?
I have represented Maharashtra at the national level and I've also won 14 state level medals representing Mumbai. The main problem is the accessibility of swimming pools. The pools are not that accessible and friendly for a person with disability or a wheelchair user to go and practice. In the initial stages there is a lack of support from the government. Despite performing on State and National stages the Government hasn't supported me at all. I have to pay from my own pocket just to practice at the swimming pool. I used to live in Santacruz and had to go to Dadar because there wasn't an accessible pool closer than that. There is also a lack of support at the ground level. For someone who wants to take up para swimming as a career there will be no support until he or she reaches the international level which will take 5 years or so. Till then you will have to look for sponsors yourself and practice by yourself. Even the association coaches will support you only if they have time. Right now I'm focusing on cricket and swimming has taken a backseat for me. The pools are also not functioning due to COVID-19 and that makes it very difficult.
Q4) In times of difficulty and crisis what steps do you take to get through them?
For an able person starting to play cricket is very simple as there are a lot of academies for it. For us it is not like that, initially there was no academy where there is wheelchair cricket so we only started an association called 'Mumbai Wheelchair Sports Association'. To raise more awareness we have to reach out to academies and request them to provide their facilities free of cost because we don't have big fundings like normal cricket gets from the likes of the BCCI. We are reaching out to people to explain our situation and requirements. When we asked academies to let us practice, their concern was if our wheelchair would damage their pitches. We had to show them that it doesn't affect the pitches. The other thing is that if someone gets injured while practicing, the academy doesn't want to be responsible therefore we have to give them a letter where we take all the responsibility. Right now we are getting support from a few academies like Nilesh Walavalkar Academy in Santacruz, A-League nation in Andheri and Dominic school. These are a few challenges where few people support us and a few people don't. My main objective is that Wheelchair cricket should reach the masses so that we get more support.
Q5) What have been some of your biggest challenges outside the sports arena?
There are two, accessibility in terms of infrastructure and the mindset of people. Without accessibility, a person on a wheelchair cannot reach a destination which greatly limits experiences, exposure and the ability to voice out problems. Ramps need to be present so that lifts can be accessible. I have left a job because of the lack of accessibility to the toilet in a 10 hour shift. People’s mindset for those with disabilities also needs to change, many believe that because a person is handicapped, they will always remain a burden and cannot be independent, but the two issues go hand-in-hand and with accessibility comes independence which will help change the mindset of others. The main disability is not those who are on wheelchairs but it’s the infrastructure that cannot accommodate people with different needs. Addressing these two issues will solve 90% of the problems.
Q6) What are some of your long term goals in cricket and para swimming?
With regards to para swimming I don’t have any long term goals at the moment, I’m treating the sport just as a form of exercise to get fitter. My focus is on cricket and as you may have heard the BCCI will be supporting physically challenged cricketers across all categories. I am a part of the Indian wheelchair cricket team which is run by the Wheelchair Cricket India Association from Delhi and U.P. Abhay Pratap Singh, who is heading this is also on a wheelchair and used to be in the Air Force, he is constantly in touch with Jay Shah and Sourav Ganguly about the development of Wheelchair Cricket in India while I’m taking care of the Mumbai and Maharashtra region.
We are constantly in touch with each other and our goal is that just like there is a domestic structure for the Test format in Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali for T20 format and Vijay Hazare Trophy for One Day cricket, this kind of system is also required for Wheelchair Cricket. We will be playing throughout the year and the competition will increase which will benefit and strengthen the Indian team. I want people with disabilities to be able to consider cricket as a profession and despite the fact that many wheelchair bound individuals have government jobs and reservations, I want more people with disabilities to come forward and consider cricket as a viable career option. The BCCI should give enough funds so that Wheelchair Cricket is sustainable and those playing professionally can run their families with the income. There are about 2000 individuals in India who are involved with WheelChair Cricket, it’s not a small number and BCCI’s support can help increase this number to 10,000, that’s our long term plan.
