A portion between his hip and right knee does not exist since birth, but that did not deter Sagar Chanda from studying and playing cricket with equal passion.

Congenital short femur, a rare type of malformation that occurs during prenatal development, affects the growth of the bone in the upper leg.

“In his case, this has shortened the growth of the right thigh. But it did not have any impact on his spirit,” said Sagar’s father Tapas Chanda, a railway employee.

The trait of encountering hardships has propelled Sagar to success as he occupied the 10th place in this year’s Higher Secondary exams.

He has scored 486 out of 500, which is 97.2 per cent. Sagar has scored 91 in first language, 96 in second language, 99 in biological science, 98 in chemistry and 98 in physics.

The Burdwan Municipal High School student shares his rank with 25 other students.

Sagar is the first differently abled examinee in the history of West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education to find a place among the rank holders.

Sagar, who wears a special shoe to cope with the difficulty in moving around, was away in Durgapur to write the JEE-advanced test when council president Mahua Das was highlighting his feat.

In a chat with Metro, Sagar, a big fan of India captain Virat Kohli, said: “I am glad to be among the top 10. I never identify myself as one who is differently-abled, so I am thrilled as any other student.”

Sagar’s mother Jayashree Chanda is busy packing stuff as her son will shortly leave home to take admission in IISC Bangalore.

“I am taking admission at IISC, but if I get a chance to study at AIIMS, then I would have to take a call between the two,” said Sagar.

Talking about what Sagar had to go through since birth, Jayashree said: “During the early days his father used to carry him to school. The concern that his spines could be impacted if he remained bent on the right side prompted us to get in touch with a specialist at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. Since 2009 he has been wearing the special shoe.”

His achievement has earned him praise from his fellow toppers, who are also from his school.

Sukriyo Chakraborty, who stood third with a score of 494, said: “We are happy that Sagar came up with a stellar show overcoming the odds. I hope to catch up with him at IISC Bangalore.”

School headmaster Sambhunath Chakroborty said: “We have four HS toppers, including Sagar, this years. But I am proud of his achievement the most.”