5 huge Indian cricketing achievements apart from the men's national team

Cricket in India or any other country, for that matter, is primarily about what the men's national cricket team does. The rest of the space belongs to other related cricket such as popular T20 tournaments, domestic cricket and under-19 men's cricket.Unfortunately though, some of India's cricketing heroics across many other forms of game seem to go unnoticed. So whether it is women's cricket or blind cricket or even physical disability cricket, any achievements in them don't seem to garner much appreciation or support.Irrespecitve of this, a number of Indian cricket teams across these less popular versions of cricket keep making the country proud with their performances. Here are 5 such great cricketing achievements by teams representing India:

#5 Winning the Women\'s Asia Cup 2012

The Indian Women’s Cricket Team poses with the Asia Cup

It is not just the men’s cricket team which brings home all the glory to India, the women’s team has also done it. The greatest example of this was the triumph of India Women in the 2012 Women’s T20 Asia Cup.

The tournament, played in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, saw the Indian team reaching the final unbeaten and set up a clash against Pakistan for the title. Despite being blown away for 81 in their 20 overs, India Women managed to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 63 and ended up becoming champions.

Prior to this, the Indians had also registered 4 back-to-back Asia Cup wins in the ODI format. However, even such fantastic performances have not been enough to grab the attention of the media and fans alike.

#4 6-0 whitewash of South Africa in T20 series by Physically Challenged team

The Indian team which achieved the outstanding feat

In the year 2014, India’s Physically Challenged cricket team achieved an outstanding feat, that of whitewashing their opponents South Africa in their own backyard. They did this not in a 2-match or 3-match series, but in a 6-match T20 series played at the Centurion cricket ground and the South African Police Grounds.

The tournament, which was played between 29 June and 7 July 2014, saw India winning all 6 T20 games and thereby registering a clean sweep. India’s Yashpal Sharma received the player of the tournament award for his heroics which helped the team in their success.

Although the triumph may not have got much recognition, the team did receive the backing of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who sponsored the kist of the players.

#3 Triumph in Asia Cup Championship for the Deaf and Dumb 2014

The champions pose for a picture post a great triumph

The year 2014 saw the first of its kind T20 Asia Cup Championship for the Deaf and Dumb and the Indian team pipped four other teams – Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal – to become champions. The tournament was a 3-day affair and was played entirely in the north Indian town of Dharmshala.

India met Sri Lanka in the final and defeated them in a close encounter by as few as 8 runs to clinch the prestigious trophy. The victory was a special one as it brought a hard working bunch of cricketers some recognition for their efforts.

Unfortunately, achievements like these do not get enough media glare or coverage and end up being largely unknown.

#2 2012 Blind T20 World Cup Conquest

India won the first ever Blind T20 World Cup in 2012

In 2007, the Indian national cricket team created history by winning the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup. Five years later, India's visually impaired cricketers emulated the feat by winning the very first T20 World Cup for the Blind.

The most amazing coincidence was that they beat the same opposition whom India had toppled in their final, Pakistan. Batting first, the Indians put up 258 on the board which was enough for them to seal victory by 29 runs in the final played at Bangalore.

The winning trophy was handed over to skipper Shekhar Naik by another World Cup winning captain, Arjuna Ranatunga. This triumph is one of India's greatest yet unsung cricketing achievements in recent years.

#1 Victory in the 2014 Blind Cricket World Cup

India's Blind Cricket World Cup winning team pose with the PM

Many may not be aware of the fact that at one point of time India were not only the world champions in ODI cricket but also in blind cricket, This instance dates back to December 2014, when the India's visually impaired cricket team claimed their maiden Blind Cricket World Cup title.

The victory came in the most perfect circumstances as the Indians beat neighbours Pakistan in the final chasing down a mammoth 390 in a 40-over game. The tournament was played in South Africa and India became eventual champions despite losing their first match against the same opposition.

The 7-nation tournament also included Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and host nation South Africa. The Indian team qualified for the final after beating Sri Lanka in the semi-final. In the final, batsman Prakasha Jayaramiah smashed a four in the last over to seal a memorable triumph for India.