Ignoring physical deformity, cricketer Rayis Shah focuses on his strength

Srinagar, Dec 17: Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Rayis Ahmad Shah’s strength is as strong as any normal sportsperson’s.
Hailing from a far-flung Nagam village of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Rayis was born with Arthrogryposis and club foot – a disease characterized by joint deformities that restrict movement in the hands and feet – but he never let the disease fade away his dreams.
From childhood, he would love to watch cricket and often play inside along with his father and brother. After getting inspired by watching the biopic of Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he decided to play cricket professionally in a wheelchair.
After stepping into professional cricket in 2020, he has been a part of the winning Jammu and Kashmir team in the Sardar Patel Cricket National Championship organized by the Gujarat Wheelchair Cricket Association in 2021 at Vadodara. Rayis is a right-handed batter and practices every day for 3 hours. He is also known for his handstand pushups and can do 50 pushups in a go.
Shah’s dreams don’t stop at the cricket ground. He wants to play for the Paralympics and represent the country. “I want to work hard and do something big. I am working on myself so that I can find a game to opt for so that I can represent my country in the Paralympics,” Rayis told Rising Kashmir.
Life isn’t easy for him, but his determination keeps him going. “It’s not easy to be a disabled person. There is a chance of having serious injury if hit with a ball. Disability makes things harder for any person but it’s his dreams that won’t let him sleep,” he said.
Talking about the infrastructure, he said there is only one sports stadium in Anantnag and there is no proper space for para-cricketers to practice.
“Grounds are very far away from my home, and I have to bear the inconvenience of travelling to a distance. There is a lack of infrastructure. We do practice with the Cosco cricket ball, but a professional game is played with kookaburra balls. The lack of infrastructure during practice really impacts our performance in matches,” he said.
Playing in the Srinagar 11 team, Shah said a good number of local leagues are held, and a little bit of infrastructure can be of good help to the players.
Currently studying in 12th class, Rayis said, “I have good strength and when I do arm wrestling with my brother, I easily make him lose.”