Polio can`t deter him from playing cricket

His left leg was crippled due to polio in early childhood. But that did not deter Prem Prakash from chasing his passion - cricket. Such is his ardour for the game that he won the man-of-the match titles eight times in one-day national matches. He also bagged the man of the tournament title twice in test series.

Achievement has become just another word for  37-year-old Prakash who has been selected captain of the Haryana physically challenged cricket team and will represent the Indian disabled team in an international cricket tournament to be held in Pakistan next month.

Early years
Born and brought up in Haryana, Prakash has been playing cricket as an all-rounder for his team since school days. He is passionate about the game which he used to play with some friends in his spare time ignoring the fact that he was handicapped.
"My world lies in the sport and playing cricket has always been my first priority. I am in love with this sport since early days of my schooling. I am fortunate that I have been given the responsibility to captain my team for the Pakistan trip," says Prakash.

Nothing could stop him
His physical disability came to light at the age of four when he was administered wrong vaccination and it could not be treated after medical treatments. He has studied till 10+2. As his love for cricket increased manifold, he gave up studies.

Coach his support
"I was discouraged many times as others kept pointing out my physical challenges. But I tried my best and achieved milestones. I am grateful to my coach Praveen Bahel who always encouraged and supported me and finally introduced me into professional cricket," he added.
Prakash made a mark in his debut tournament in 1997 wherein he scored two hat-tricks against Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh. "Out of 16 national series, I have been awarded man of match and man of tournament over 10 times apart from others," he continued, saying he had cherished those beautiful moments very much.
Prakash credits his success to his father Krishna Gopal Yadav and mother, late Chandravati Yadav.
"Previously, I have handled captaincy of Faridabad cricket team and this time I will lead Haryana cricket team. I have always given my best while playing and leave rest to god. I am confident that my supreme lord will never let me down, even in the next tournament in Pakistan," he said confidently.

Rawalpindi express, his icon
His favourite sport icon is Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akhtar. "I like him very much because of his bowling speed and the kind of fear he creates among all batsmen," he stated.

In the pipeline
Revealing his future plans, he said, "I want to create milestones in my field by reaching the international level. It is my dream. I also want to show those, especially who do not provide opportunity to the disabled sportsmen, that what we can do and where we can reach."
As of now, Prakash is busy preparing with his team for a tournament to be held in Varanasi. He is receiving good wishes after he was announced captain of the Haryana physically challenged cricket team.
—Arpit Gupta