Cricket is undoubtedly the biggest and the most watched sport in India. The love that the Indian fans shower upon their favourite cricketers is unmatched and it is a dream of every young Indian to represent the national team at some point in their life.
Cricket definitely is also a money making machine in India and the amount of money that the Indian cricketers earn is unimaginable. We have therefore heard of many rags to riches stories in cricket, i.e, players who belonged to a very poor background but their cricket gave them money and fame. Hardik Pandya, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan are all examples of the same.
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However, there are also some cricketers who reach the pinnacle of success in their career but then lose their track and ruin what they had achieved. Sometimes, luck just doesn’t favour them. Gujarat’s Naresh Tumda falls under that category.
For those who don’t know, Naresh Tumda is a World Cup Winning Blind Indian cricketer. He started playing cricket when he was just 5 years old. Identifying his potential, the Gujarat team gave him a place in their team from where he was soon called up by the National Team.
He was the proud part of the Indian team that defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets in the 2018 World Cup Finals but things have not been going well for Naresh since then.
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The nationwide Lockdown which started in 2020 increased his poverty . He currently sells vegetables and works as a daily labourer in Gujarat’s remote area of Navsari. His daily earning is just 250 Rs.
Naresh Tumda has approached the Gujarat government and the Gujarat Chief minister for a job. He has even sent requests of assistance to the Prime Minister but is yet to receive a response. He had thought that meeting the President and the Prime minister of India after the World Cup win would change his life but that was not to be.
“I earn Rs 250 a day, which is hardly enough to support my poor parents. I urge the government to grant me a job,” said Tumda.
“I can barely make ends meet with my paltry wages. My parents are old; my father cannot work. I am the sole breadwinner for the family. I have been expecting the government to show consideration for the past two years,” he said.
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