Widely regarded as a revolutionary girl, Ghazal Khan has not only made her mark but paved the way for disabled individuals in the future to pursue a career in sport. Ghazal Khan CEO of Divyang Cricket Control Board of India, working since 2014 in the field of disability cricket is promoted as director of international affairs in the International Council of Wheelchair Cricket (ICWC).
Q 1) What motivated you to work for disability cricket?
Being born and brought up in India, everyone has cricket in their blood. I am inspired by my father Mr Haroon Rasheed, who is already working since 2007 for disability cricket. Eventually, I started gaining knowledge and experience about disability cricket since I was a student.
I joined the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India (previously known as Disabled Sporting Society) in 2014 as a volunteer and it’s been a struggle of 7 years to reach the respected post of chief executive officer of DCCBI. My work is not only for India but also for the rest countries of the world. I am ambitious to establish and promote disability cricket worldwide and I am dreaming of giving the same platform and dignity to physically challenge cricketers similarly normal cricketers. Considering my dedicated work for wheelchair cricket I am promoted as director of international affairs in ICWC.
Q 2) Pakistan will be hosting the 2nd T20 Asia Cup of Wheelchair Cricket. What are your expectations from that tournament and do you believe India can win it?
India's wheelchair cricket team defeated Bangladesh at home by 3-0 and were also runners up in the Asia Cup which was held in Nepal. The International Council of Wheelchair Cricket has given Pakistan permission to host the 2nd T20 Asia Cup.
Firstly, it’s amazing news for all the wheelchair cricketers of India. There are more than a thousand wheelchair cricketers practising daily to make their dreams come true and play for India. And after a huge breakdown of covid-19, it's such an amazing movement for all the future cricketers of India. India is widely considered as the strongest wheelchair team and our team will try our level best to make sure India become victorious.
Q 3) Being Director of International Affairs at ICWC, what is your vision towards wheelchair cricket?
As I said earlier that I am very ambitious to establish and promote disability cricket in the world, my planning and strategies are the same in this regard. Being the director of international affairs at ICWC I have a lot of work to do in future for the betterment of wheelchair cricketers of the world. I am in touch with so many representatives of other countries and I am trying to help them to establish wheelchair cricket in their countries by providing them with the structure, awareness, exchange of ideas etc. I am very happy to see wheelchair cricket spreading its wings worldwide very rapidly. And I am very sure that we will see wheelchair cricket at a level similar to normal cricket worldwide very soon.
Q 4) What are some of the challenges that you have faced as a wheelchair cricketer in India and the World? How have you overcome them?
The biggest challenging part in this cricket is finance. If we want to work for such level we need handsome money in our pocket to fulfil according to the budget. There are a lot of people who have for such wonderful works like Ratan Tata in India, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. my team is working to find contacts of such people to execute our plans.
“Hundred planning are made on paper but success story will reveal only one.”-Ghazal Khan
And I have made plan A followed by plan B and so on. Firstly I am making the set-up ready, then I will go for the next step to make ICWC financially strong enough for proper execution.