ANANTAPUR: The tiny Tambalahatti golahatti hamlet rose as one on Monday to hail its dear daughter, Deepika, who surprised the world with her World Cup win.
TC Deepika, captain of Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team, hails from this exclusive hamlet for Yadavas in Amarapuram mandal of the Satya Sai district. She gained global attention after clinching the first ever Women’s T 20 World Cup for the blind on Sunday.
The hamlet has about 40 homes, carrying with them strange customs handed down to them by tradition. Tambalahatti is just 100 metres away from the Karnataka borders. Over the years, it had no inkling that cricket would one day define Deepika’s life. The tiny hamlet’s fate however changed dramatically. It gained global attention through women’s blind cricket performance.
Deepika’s early life was perhaps a struggle as her parents Chikka Rangappa and mother Chittamma were poor farm labourers. They possessed two acres of dry land in the village, but the family was a victim of recurring drought and hence they mostly depended on their daily wages to lead a quiet life.
Compounding the problems in her life, Deepika lost her vision for one eye after her nail accidentally damaged it at an early age.
Though a native of AP, Deepika studied from Class I to Class VII at the nearby Doddapavanagere in Hiriyur taluk of Karnataka. The school was about 2km from her home. Later, she joined the School of the Blind at Kunigal in Tumkur taluk of Karnataka and completed her graduation.
The lecturers of the blind school noticed that Deepika was talented in cricket. They encouraged her. Eventually, she underwent training at a coaching camp in Mysore.
To her luck, Deepika got selected as captain of Blind Women’ team of Karnataka state and this led to her selection to the Indian team. Later, She was selected as captain of the Indian team for Women’s T 20 World Cup -2025. Deepika played in the T-20 tourney in England and won laurels.
In the finals held in Colombo on Sunday, team India defeated Nepal by seven wickets and clinched the world cup. After electing to field, India restricted Nepal to 114 runs. The Indian team chased down the target in just 12.1 overs.
The blind cricket uses a plastic ball with metal bearings that jingle. Players are grouped by sight: B1 (fully blind), B2 and B3. The teams must field a mix of all three.
The ball is bowled underarm along the ground. B1 batters use runners for safety; and each run they score counts as two.
The world cup featured six teams in a single round-robin. India won all five matches and were the first to qualify for the semi-finals.
“This is the biggest moment for me and my team,” beamed Deepika. “Encouragement from my parents and my lecturers and coaches helped me to attain this feat,” she said.
She said the support from Indian women’s world cup winner Jemimah Rodrigues and men’s test captain Shubman Gill had been very meaningful.
Deepika has two brothers, both younger to her. Eeranna, 22, completed his graduation. Gireesh, 20, studied ITI and is working with a private firm in Bengaluru.
The Karidi Golla, a Yadava community creed, existed in large numbers in the border areas of AP and Karnataka mainly in Anantapur and Satya Sai districts.
The community reveres Lord Krishna as their god. Their customs are unique. A fencing would be laid for every hamlet, indicating its borders.
Women at any age, including minor girls, should be away from their homes for five days during their monthly periods. Such women had to stay under the shade of big trees even at night, despite their fear of snakes and wild animals. Deliveries of pregnant women are performed at small huts outside the village.
Of late, former minister N Raghuveera Reddy and former ZP chairman Gundumala Thippeswamy initiated a process to build community halls in a majority of the gollahattis for women to come and stay during their periods. However, Deepika’s native village Tambalahatti, which has 40 houses, does not have such a community hall so far. Instead, the women during their periods go and stay at a primary school located outside the village.
Deepika’s father, Chikka Rangappa, said most of the women stayed at the primary school during their monthly periods.
“We are thrilled. This is a matter of pride not only to us and our village but to the entire country. Very many people called me on the phone and praised my daughter,” Chikka Rangappa said.
Chikka Rangappa and Chittamma were felicitated in a grand manner at Hemavati, the historic temple of Lord Shiva, on Monday. Telugu Desam incharge Gundumala Thippeswamy, a close relative and cousin brother of Chikka Rangappa, along with Yadava sangam leaders, felicitated the parents.
Thippeswamy told Deccan Chronicle that he informed chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and IT minister Nara Lokesh about the remarkable victory of Deepika and her team.
“We urged Nara Lokesh to uplift the family of Deepika. She has an Aadhaar card and she is a native of AP though she studied in Karnataka,” he said, adding, “I would take Deepika to the capital to enable her to meet the chief minister and education minister.
President of the Madakasira Abhimanyu cricket association Nagendra celebrated the event in Madakasira town. Sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah have invited the team to visit them.
