Ananta Sarkar, a cricketer from Jalpaiguri district, has been chosen for the Indian cricket team for the upcoming Deaf T20 Cricket World Cup to be held in Qatar later this year.
Ananta, 27, will join the training camp of the national team from November 15 to 30.
“He was chosen for his performance in the national T20 cricket tournament organised by the Indian Deaf Cricket Association. It is a matter of pride for us,” said Abhishek Basu, the general secretary of Jalpaiguri District Deaf Sports Association.
In the tourney, Ananta scored 144 runs and took eight wickets.
Ananta, whose native place is Jateswar in Falakata block of neighbouring Alipurduar district, stays in Binoy More area in Rajganj, Jalpaiguri now.
“I thank the IDCA and the state deaf cricket association for this opportunity. I will put in every effort to prove myself in Qatar,” Ananta said.
Since childhood, Ananta, also known as Munna, had a keen interest in cricket and started playing in Pragati Sangha in Jateswar. Later, he joined the Jagarani Club in Siliguri while studying at Siliguri Polytechnic.
In 2018, Ananta took part in the second division cricket league. In 2021, he played his first national-level T20.
Som Shankar Dutta, a former cricketer from Alipurduar, said they were "all proud of Munna".
He, however, pointed out that Alipurduar district lacked cricket infrastructure and the Cricket Association of Bengal had not yet granted affiliation to the District Sports and Games Association formed eight years ago.