Gurugram/Mumbai: Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) today announced the conclusion of Samarth Championship – a five-match International Bilateral Blind Men’s T20 Cricket Series, under its Samarth by Hyundai initiative. Organized by Hyundai Motor India Foundation’s (HMIF) NGO partner, ‘Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’, in partnership with the ‘Cricket Association for the Blind in India’, the riveting five-match series witnessed some unforgettable moments of extraordinary run chase, bowling and fielding efforts by both teams.The Indian Men’s Blind Cricket Team dominated the series by defeating Sri Lankan Men’s Blind Cricket Team in all five matches. This initiative aimed to create awareness, enablement, and a more inclusive society for people with disabilities.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Mr. Un Soo Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, “At Hyundai Motor India, we have been steadfast in our commitment to the global vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’. Last year we launched ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, with an aim to create a more inclusive society for individuals with disabilities. The cricket series initiative represents our dedicated efforts to raise awareness and facilitate empowerment for people with disabilities. As cricket is more than mere sports for Indians, it’s a cultural force of unity, therefore we chose blind cricket to further promote societal equality for differently abled people. As we continue to prioritize India’s comprehensive development, our goal remains to support the differently abled individuals, fostering a more compassionate society through our social endeavours. We congratulate the Indian Men’s Blind Cricket Team for such a great performance.”
The closing ceremony was graced by special guest Praveen Kumar, former fast-bowler in Indian men’s cricket and Madan Lal Sharma, former Indian cricketer & coach and member of 1983 world cup winning Indian team.
Series Summary:
Team India dominated the entire series by winning the 1st and 2nd match with huge run margin of 132 runs and 134 runs respectively and continued the winning streak in the 3rd match with a thumping 7 wicket win. In the 4th T20 of the Samarth Championship, Team India beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets and following this unassailable lead, the final match saw Team India defeating Team Sri Lanka by 90 runs with a total of 227 runs.
About Samarth Initiative:
Launched in Nov’2023, ‘Samarth’ initiative aims to enable an inclusive, progressive world through the power of mobility. Through this initiative, Hyundai aims to help create a more aware and sensitized society towards people with disabilities in India. With the launch of ‘Samarth’, Hyundai Motor India is India’s first automobile company to launch an inclusive mobility project at a mass scale. With a comprehensive effort to ensure that the digital presence is accessible to all, Hyundai under this initiative is ensuring that its website is user-friendly for people with disabilities. The company has also pledged to make the physical business locations accessible and accommodating to people with disabilities. Additionally, Hyundai is developing and introducing Swivel Seats and accessories with MOBIS in an attempt to enhance the differently abled friendliness of the cars.
HMIF Partnership with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled:
Under the ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) (the philanthropic arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited) partnered with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to support the differently abled individuals with assistive devices. Under the partnership, HMIF & Samarthanam will create a program which will utilize blind cricket as a platform in pursuit of physical & social development of the visually impaired in India. Through this partnership HMIF will support visually impaired cricketers by organizing various training camps for grass root and national level visually impaired cricketers. The program will also organize International Bilateral series for national Blind cricket team giving them bigger platforms to showcase their talent.
