Praveen Kumar Reveals He Is Partially Blind And Only One Of His India Teammates Knew About It

Praveen Kumar’s career did not really pan out as widely expected. Fondly called the jaadugar (magician) of Meerut, Praveen Kumar first shot to limelight for his performances for India Red in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2007. It paved the way for his India debut in the same year.  The bowler, famous for his swing and control, made his One Day International debut against Pakistan in November 2007.

His first major contribution came in the tri-nation Commonwealth Bank Series in 2008 in Australia. The right-arm pacer played an important role in the Indian triumph. He became an overnight star after his excellent spell in the second final at Brisbane. Playing just his fourth ODI, Kumar put in a superb performance with the ball.

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He ended the game with figures of 4/46 that helped India restrict the world champions to just 249 and register their first ever tri-series win in Australia. The ex-cricketer was one of India’s most important bowlers between 2008 and 2011. But he soon found himself out of favour and did not play for India after 2012. After losing all the hopes of another recall, he eventually retired from the game in 2018.

The struggles:

In a recent interview, Praveen Kumar revealed how he fought against depression after his spectacular fall from grace. The ex-India cricketer also revealed that he is partially blind and was even so during his playing days. Praveen Kumar revealed that barring his family, only his former teammate Rohit Sharma knew about it.

“I can’t see properly with my right eye. I was hit by a ball while playing junior cricket. I underwent treatment at a Delhi hospital. The doctor said they could do a transplant but could not guarantee return of vision and that things might become worse,” Praveen Kumar told Indian Express as his father decided against the operation.

“If you have noticed my batting dismissals, I often got bowled by slower balls. It’s because I couldn’t see the ball. I faced the same issue with bouncers. I never had a problem playing length balls,” he added.

We almost started at the same time playing for the country, lots of fun, laugh and good cricket. I cannot forget his spell in CB series 2nd final, it was magical. To a brother, friend and a team mate have a good retirement buddy @praveenkumar pic.twitter.com/3WzKvar4mQ

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) October 22, 2018