Somjeet Singh, Captain of the Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team, is an example of hard work, determination, and indomitable will. He was born on 05th July 1996 in Orai, Uttar Pradesh. Immediately after birth, Somjeet was diagnosed with Myelomeningocele, which is a kind of spinal tumor and involves multi-organ systems like skeletal, muscular, urological, respiratory, skin, and central nervous systems. He was operated on two weeks after the birth for that. After the operation, he was like a normal child playing cricket with his friends. But at the age of 9, one day he suddenly fell down while walking.
In the next one year, the situation continued to deteriorate, paralyzing him completely below the waist. The next few years were tough for him and his family. Someone used to carry him from one place to another. His schooling got disturbed because of this. At the age of 15, another surgery was done on him which brought some mobility in his lower limbs, but still, he wasn't able to walk properly even with the support of crutches.
Everyone advised him to use Wheelchair, but his grit and determination were so strong that he refused to use a wheelchair for quite a few years and tried walking with crutches only. Later on, his love for cricket motivated him to start using a wheelchair.
In 2014, he started playing Wheelchair Cricket with a few of his fellow Wheelchair user friends in Lucknow. Using social networking sites, he gathered a few more enthusiastic Wheelchair users from Uttar Pradesh, and with the help of some Social Activists, he managed to organize a match between Uttar Pradesh and the rest of India on 3rd December 2015 in Allahabad. This became the first-ever recorded Wheelchair Match organized in India.
After that, he and his enthusiastic friends searched for someone who could take this forward. Sitting on a Wheelchair he managed to find people in different parts of India who showed interest in wheelchair Cricket. He and his friends even played a few matches in 2016, organized by different people. Most of these people asked for money from players to organize the matches.
Sometimes they didn't conduct matches even after taking money that others agreed to pay. Somjeet initially resisted, but later on succumbed to the demands due to his love for the game. But very soon, he realized that this was not going to take him and his fellow Wheelchair Users anywhere.
Playing was different but handling a large number of wheelchair users with different degrees of disabilities was a risky proposition. Some players did not even have bladder & bowel control and were prone to infections in unhygienic conditions. Being a paraplegic himself, he knew the problems of wheelchair users more than anybody else. But Somjeet kept motivating his friends to form an association.
Finally, in 2017, Uttar Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket Association (U.P.W.C.A.) was formed with Sqn Ldr Abhai Pratap Singh (Retd.) as its President, to generate support and funds for the UP-wheelchair team. There has been no looking back since then. From then till today Somjeet Singh has had an impeccable record of winning 8 out of 9 tournaments as Uttar Pradesh Captain and is one of the most successful State Team Captains in India. He is also captain of the Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team and under his captaincy, India has now won all Five International Matches played against Nepal, Bangladesh & Pakistan and that too on foreign land.
An exhibition match was conducted in Lucknow between UP & Delhi Teams under the banner of CII YI with support from corporations like Mahendra’s and Tata motors. This was the first proper showcasing of Wheelchair Cricket on the National Level as few National Dailies covered the event. Uttar Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket Association came into being soon after the efforts of Somjeet Singh and Sqn Ldr Abhai Pratap Singh (Retd.).
Somjeet Singh led Uttar Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket Team in winning India’s First National Wheelchair Cricket Championship and was awarded as the Best Bowler, which was a motivation to many. WCIA’s Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team, backed by none other than Master Blaster Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, visited Bangladesh for a Three-Match India-Bangladesh Series. Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team came back with a clean sweep win.
In September 2018, the Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team also won India-Pakistan Bilateral Series by 3-0 (Held In Dubai & Azman, U.A.E.) followed by the Nepal-Bangladesh-India Tri-Nation Series in Kolkata in 2019. Back-to-back wins at International Matches brought much-needed recognition and support for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Individuals through the sport of Wheelchair Cricket.
In 2019, Somjeet Singh, was appointed National Convenor for Wheelchair Cricket Tournaments (Domestic) and successfully organized the 2nd National Wheelchair Cricket Championship in which 16 states participated with more than 270 professional Wheelchair Cricketers. Also, Somjeet Singh led the Uttar Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket team as the Captain and was awarded as the best batsman among the 270 Wheelchair Cricketers of the 2nd National Wheelchair Cricket Championship scoring runs at an average of 100.
After this, there have been numerous Domestic Tournaments held at the National level, State Level & even at the District level in many states. Many states have District Level Teams which organize Intra-State Tournaments also.
In 2020, due to covid, the matches were postponed indefinitely. WCIA activities were shifted to Online Platforms. As the National Convenor, Somjeet Singh organized Accessibility Awareness Workshops, Motivation Talks, and Wheelchair Skill Development and Online Training for Wheelchair Cricketers by BCCI Certified Level-B & Level-C Coaches. In October, W.C.I.A. launched #DriveWithAbility campaign releasing videos of Indian Wheelchair Cricketers driving their Adapted Vehicles with a motive to encourage Driving among the Differently Abled Community and simultaneously sensitizing the abled-body individuals regarding the issues of Differently-Abled Community.
On 18th & 19th April 2022 a 2-Day Workshop on Applicable laws of Cricket with International Wheelchair Cricket Umpire, Sriharsha K was organized, and 200 Wheelchair Cricketers from across India successfully attended the same. From 27th May 2022 to 31st May 2022 Somjeet Singh successfully organized Swargiya Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Smriti Wheelchair Cricket T-10 National Championship, 2022 in Gwalior. In the championship, 8 teams from across the nations participated after qualifying from their respective zones.
As the National Convenor of W.C.I.A., Somjeet Singh organized National Wheelchair T10 Cup 2022 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh in which 8 State Teams participated. A 16-Day Disability Awareness Campaign was flagged-off on 12th June 2022 from Lucknow by Shri Navneet Sehgal, Addl. Chief Secy. of Uttar Pradesh, Information & P.R. and completed in Lucknow on 27th June 2022. The cars driven by the Expedition team were modified for use by Disabled Users (Lower Body Paralysed) and covered a distance of more than 4800 kilometers.
This #DriveWithAbility is INDIA’s FIRST OF ITS KIND DISABILITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN and Ladakh Expedition was the first of many Expeditions planned by Wheelchair Cricket India Association and organized by Somjeet Singh as the convenor of #DriveWithAbility Campaign. Apart from Disability Awareness/Sensitization, the motive of this Expedition was to show the world that Divyangjan can achieve the same feat as their abled counterparts.
In the midst of fighting against disability and love for cricket Somjeet Singh is a double graduate having both B.Sc. and B.Com. Degree and has completed Masters’s in Social Work (MSW) with a research specialization. At this Young Age, with so many achievements Somjeet Singh is still looking for ways to inspire and motivate the Differently Abled Community.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
● Identified cricket as an ideal sport for wheelchair users.
● Connected interested wheelchair users from various States through social media
platforms like Facebook.
● Organized India’s First Wheelchair Cricket 3-Team Tournament at Allahabad, U.P. to study the feasibility of Wheelchair Cricket as a competitive sport for Wheelchair Users.
● Initiated the formation of the Uttar Pradesh Wheelchair Cricket Association (U.P.W.C.A.) to take wheelchair cricket to next level.
● Played a pivotal role in the formation of many State Associations run by wheelchair users themselves.
● Co-Founded Wheelchair Cricket India Association (WCIA) and provided a national-level platform to facilitate newly formed state associations to function effectively.
● Trained more than 350 Wheelchair Users as professional Cricketers initially from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh tournament participated by 12 state teams on basic Wheelchair Skills and Cricket.
● Led Indian Wheelchair Cricket Team run by WCIA to victory against Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan consecutively.
● Identified Social Media as a potent platform to reach out to Wheelchair Users in remote areas to motivate them to take up sports.
● Certified as a Coach from I.C.R.C. (International Committee of Red Cross).
CRICKET ACHIEVEMENTS:
● First 50+ Wicket-Taker in Domestic Wheelchair Cricket Tournament.
● First Wheelchair Cricket Player to score 125 at National and International Matches.
● Most FOUR by an Indian Wheelchair Cricket Player till now.
● Most winning records, as a Captain Of Team India, Uttar Pradesh, and Franchise Team.
● Best Bowler at National Wheelchair Cricket Championship, 2018.
● Best Bowler at IWCL Indian Wheelchair Cricket League, 2018.
● Best Fielder at India vs Bangladesh, 2018.
● Man of the series at India vs Pakistan T20 Cup, 2018 played in Dubai.
● Player of the Tournament at the National Wheelchair Cricket Championship, 2019.
● Player of the Tournament: international Tri-Nation Series (India-Nepal-Bangladesh).
● Highest Runner in International Wheelchair Cricket Tournaments.
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