Afflicted with polio in both his legs, Dharamveer Pal’s passion for cricket and the Indian team knows no limits.
This brave physically challenged man from Morena in Madhya Pradesh cannot walk properly but his spirit for the game and the Indian team is without boundaries though.
Dharamveer travels with the Indian team, roots for the side and lifts its spirits. “The Indian team is my life, I live for it,” he told Sportstar on Wednesday.
In Kolkata for the Test, he will be given a ticket for the game by the Cricket Association of Bengal. His expenses including travel, food and accommodation are met by the members of the Indian team.
Dharamveer said, “I was just eight months old when polio hit me. My grandfather, who was in the Railways, tried his best to get me treated but my condition did not improve.”
He found his outlet in cricket and, defying odds, went on to captain the Madhya Pradesh team for the physically challenged.
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Soon Dharamveer started travelling with the Indian team. He had several moments to remember but none more memorable than when maestro Sachin Tendulkar, on the day he retired from cricket in Mumbai, walked up to him and said, “Keep supporting the Indian team. It means much to us.”
Dharamveer, until recently, got to see the Indian team from up close as one of the ball boys. Now, the BCCI has decided to give him a ticket to witness the matches from the stands.
He said, “Virat and Dhoni bhai, they encourage me all the time. I have travelled to many countries because the Indian team bought me air tickets and gave me money for other expenses.”
This is one bond that keeps growing stronger.
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