• A man who cannot use his right hand washes cars for a living in Noapara.

• Another man, who has no strength in his right hand, wheels a cart of fruits in North 24-Parganas from door to door.

• A third man whose right leg is shorter than his left would sit at his father’s tea shop in Howrah’s Salkia to make a living.

The three men have not just overcome their disability and financial constraints but also pursued their passion, cricket.

The three, and some others, are members of the West Bengal Cricket Association for the Differently Abled team. Most have locomotor disability.

Their passion is cricket but most of them can play or practiceonly when they do not have to earna living.

“The sport does not support us financially. Sometimes we get cash when we play but not always,” said Milan Das, the captain who washes cars for a living. He supports his family of three, including his wife and child, with a monthly income of₹10,000.

A locomotor disability makes it difficult for Das to use his right hand. He is a left-handed batsman who practices early in the morning before he gets busy for the day to earn a living.

Ramesh Kumar Yadav, 30, an all-rounder in the same team, wants to give more time to cricket.

He holds the ball in his left hand and a stick in his right hand to support his movement while he is running to bowl.

The British deputy high commission in Calcutta, in collaboration with the Indo-British Scholars’ Association (Ibsa) and Rotary Club of Kolkata Metro City, hosted an event on Wednesday to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The spotlight was on disability cricket and 10 players and their coach, including Yadav and Das, were felicitated. This was followed by a panel discussion on “Amplifying Leadership in Disability Cricket”.

“Most of our players come from families who are financially struggling and they barely get time for practice. They have to first think of earning a living and only then can devote time to practice,” said Utpal Majumder, the coach and secretary of the association.

“Because of their disability, getting a job… is a further challenge for them. In many offices or factories, employers are reluctant to employ a person with a disability,” said Majumder.

Another challenge they face, Majumder said, is that since they have a physical disability, their family isoften worried that an injury on the field might make their condition worse.

Andrew Fleming, British deputy high commissioner to East and Northeast India, said: “Aside from being good for one’s health, sportsparticipation is an immensely powerful medium through which to develop manylife skills. It should be available and accessible to all and this absolutely shouldinclude the differently abled community.”

Reetasri Ghosh, vice-president, Ibsa, said cricketers with disabilities are “redefining leadership” on thefield.

“From overcoming physical challenges to leadingtheir teams to victory these players are role models for everyone.”