Pithoragarh: Not many years ago, Rajendra Singh Dhami was captain of the Indian wheelchair cricket team. Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he is forced to work as a labourer to make ends meet.
Dhami, who currently leads the Uttarakhand team, was only 3 years old when he was 90 per cent disabled due to paralysis.
As he grew up, the young boy started showing interest in cricket. Soon, he got hooked to the game and started winning accolades.
He went on to achieve a Masters degree in History and also completed B Ed.
Once the coronavirus pandemic set in and lockdown was declared, Dhami started struggling financially.
“Before this, I was coaching wheelchair-bound children interested in playing cricket in Rudrapur. But that came to a halt. I returned to my village Raikot in Pithoragarh, where my parents live,” Dhami told The Times of India.
He needs to support his aged parents as his brother – who used to work at a hotel in Gujarat — lost his job during the lockdown. Dhami then decided to start working under the MGNREGA scheme.
