Two Gujarat boys make it to Indian deaf volleyball team

11.06.2016, AHMEDABAD: Two deaf and speech-impaired boys - Hitesh Chaudhary of Charada village in Gandhinagar and Hardik Patel of Valsad's Chharwada village - have made the cut for the Indian volleyball team that will take part in the Third World Deaf Volleyball Championship in Washington. The tournament will be played on July 5-16 at the Gallaudet University under the aegis of International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

The two men had to compete with 28 other spikers from across the country at a selection trial to make the nine-member squad. Hitesh, 27, will be a bit more excited as he will also lead the side picked by the All India Sports Council of the Deaf (AISCD) recently.

The two will be in Bangalore in June for the preparatory camp on the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus and will embark on their journey for to the US on July 2.

Delighted over his maiden sojourn abroad, Hitesh told TOI through his elder brother Bharat using sign language, that he was selected for the national team earlier too for a tournament in Bulgaria but the trip didn't happen. He is happy to be second-time lucky. "All I am thinking about right now is to do well for my team and make my village and the nation proud. I will be the first from my village to go abroad. The credit for my success goes to my mentor Babubhai Chaudhary, who brought me to the game in 2003-04," the spiker, who has played in Khel Mahakumbh, said.

Interestingly, it was Hitesh who introduced Valsad-boy Hardik to the game as the two went to the same school - Shree Haribhai R Desai Badhir Ucchatar Madhyamik Vidyala, in Vadodara between 2008 to 2011.

Hardik had started playing the game back in 2005 and has so far played in many nationals. He too played Khel Mahakumbh event in the state and impressed many. "My parents have sacrificed a lot for my passion. Today, I am proud to have justified their support as I will don the Indian colours soon," Hardik said in a text message.