Ahmedabad: Visually challenged footballer Vishnubha Tejubha Vaghela is the quintessential tough guy. He looked past the glamour of being associated with cricket in India, overcame financial struggles and trained himself to be a defender. These efforts were repaid in the form of a place in the Indian men’s blind football team, which will participate in the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from Oct 18 to 24.His selection was confirmed by Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF), the national body set up in 2016 to promote blind football. It is affiliated to the New Delhi-headquartered Indian Blind Sports Association (IBSA) and functions under the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).“…Vishnubha Tejubha Vaghela was selected to represent India as a member of the Indian men’s blind football team for the Asian Para Games 2026, scheduled to be held in Japan from Oct 18 to 24, 2026. Vaghela secured his place in the Indian men’s blind football team through the national team selection camp conducted from May 25 to 27, 2026, at the IBSA Blind Football Ground, The Blind Relief Association (BRA), New Delhi, under the aegis of the Indian Blind Sports Association,” the IBFF said in a statement.Tejal Lakhia, superintendent at the ITI on the BPA campus, under whom the 27-year-old began his academic career, speaks fondly of him. “Vishnubha’s journey is interesting because he joined Blind People’s Association (BPA) in 2016 for technical studies and, in 2017-18, enrolled for a computer course at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI). When he joined, he was already part of the Gujarat blind cricket team. His decision to shift to football was interesting because rarely does someone leave cricket and join a football team in India,” said Lakhia.“What stood out was his attitude. Seeing him play, one can’t make out whether he is blind. His sincerity has helped him break into the Indian team,” stated Lakhia, adding that Vaghela also trains visually challenged footballers.“Under him, the first women’s blind team of Gujarat was formed, and they are set to participate in the nationals soon,” Lakhia added.The 27-year-old is from Vada village in Ogad taluka of Banaskantha. His family, of humble origin, comprises a farmer father, a homemaker mother, four sisters and a younger brother. “My parents struggled to make ends meet. I played football in my backyard. My mother scolded me for breaking pots and dirtying the surroundings. My father supported me even though expenses were met on a day-to-day basis,” Vishnuba said in an interaction with TOI.How did the transition from cricket to football come about? “In 2017, the blind cricket team from Gujarat was sent as the football team to Bengaluru for the nationals. The organisers were impressed by our performance. I remember taking a ball from the ground and putting it in my bag as I feared I would never get a chance to play the sport again,” Vishnubha said.On why he chose the beautiful game over the gentleman’s game, Vishnubha said, “In cricket, every blind batter was given a runner. Sometimes, despite it being not our fault, visually challenged batters would get run out. I was upset at this. This made me continue playing football, where the control regarding playmaking lies with the players on the field.”National coach Sunil J Mathew calls him the “Sandesh Jhingan” of the Indian blind team. For the uninitiated, Jhingan is a defender in the national team. “He is nicknamed the Sandesh Jhingan of my team. He looks like him too. The good part was, I got Jhingan to meet Vishnubha. They had a quick interaction. Sandesh was thrilled to meet him. Vishnubha has been a pillar of our defence,” Mathew told TOI.
Vishnubha Vaghela is the only blind footballer from Gujarat in the national team
Sanketsingh Rajpurohit, who coached the Gujarat blind football team, affirms Vishnubha’s footballing abilities. “Vishnubha is one of Indian blind football’s accomplished defenders, whose journey from grassroots training to international recognition is a testament to his commitment and athletic discipline. In early sessions under me, the training dynamic was deliberate and demanding. I would drive forward with the ball, challenging Vishnu one-on-one, forcing him to develop sharp positional awareness, body balance and anticipatory instincts. It was in those relentless dribble-vs-defend exchanges that his defensive identity was forged,” he said.Rajpurohit adds, “The work paid off. In 2021, Vishnu earned selection to the Indian National Blind Football Camp for the Oman friendly series — a milestone that announced him on the national stage. Under the guidance of Sunil J Mathew, the camp elevated his game further, refining the technical and tactical attributes that were built in those early training grounds. Vishnu’s performances throughout the series were commanding — disciplined, composed and match-defining. At the conclusion of the tournament, he was awarded the best defender award.”Vishnubha is targeting an improvement from the fifth position India ended with at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
