8 city kids to play in Street Child Cricket WC

Kolkata: They have grown up in slums, on railway platforms and bus-stops of Kolkata, fending for themselves from a very young age, often eking out a living in harsh conditions. Life, for them, has never been “cricket”.
But now they have the chance to ride a sport and seek a better life. Eight street children from the city will represent the country in the first ever Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC) to be held from April 30 to May 8 at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
The tournament will see nine gender-equal national teams comprising street children representing nine countries — India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, UK, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Mauritius.
SCCWC is organized by SCU (Street Child United), a UK-based organization to support children who faced violence and abuse on streets. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been named the brand ambassador for Team India.
The selected children are excited at the prospect of representing the country at the hallowed pitch. “I can’t believe that I am going to play at Lord’s. I have watched the Indian team play at the ground and it looks breathtaking on TV. Soon, I am going to be there,” said 17-year-old Millie Singh, who was handed over to an NGO by her parents when she was two.
“We are going to play as representatives of the children, who live on railway stations, bus stands and road sides. This opportunity should also be provided to other children living on the streets,” said 15-year-old Ayushman Choudhury.
NGOs ‘Save The Children’ and ‘The Hope Foundation’ started working from last year to shortlist and then select two gender-equal teams, all in the age range of 13 to 18 years, based on their aptitude and skills on the game.
After a few months of selection process, eight were selected. They are Lusi Sharma, Md Waris, Anjali Paswan, Ayushman Choudhury, Millie Singh, Soni Khatoon, Tarak Sardar and Jabir Ali. They will join eight other children selected by two other NGOs from the southern region of the country.
Geeta Venkadakrishnan, director of Hope Kolkata Foundation, said two boys and two girls have been selected out of 56 street children, who were shortlisted last October. Four more kids were selected by other NGOs, involved in the selection process.