Daredevils dare to care. Do you?

HYDERABAD: It was quite a sight to see cricketers Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao sharing their cricketing skills with kids from the Children’s Home for Girls.Bringing cricket and the cause of girls together, the Unicef and the Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday interacted with orphaned girls in the age group of 7-15 at the Andhra Pradesh Women’s Development and Child Welfare Centre in the city as part of their campaign called Dare to Care.The excited girls, who live at the Children’s Home for Girls, shared their stories of struggle with the cricketers.Visibly happy after posing for a picture with Irfan Pathan, a 11-year-old girl, Teja, said the day was really special for her. It was indeed so.“I am really happy as I could play cricket with Irfan Pathan. He is very friendly and he even invited me to watch the match tomorrow! He even clicked a picture with me,” said the beaming girl. Humbled by the experience, Irfan Pathan said, “I am so happy, lucky and blessed to be here and talk to these girls. It feels so nice.The pain and struggle these girls go through is just not fair. The way they have fought and come out of it, is just so commendable. Teja is surely one such girl who inspires me and I am so glad to be able to interact with them.” Venugopal Rao, however, was the more popular guest at the Home.Though shy on the field, he mingled with the children and struck a chord as he spoke with them in Telugu.After sharing a few lighter moments with them, he said, “if there is anything I can do for the cause of these girls, I will be more than happy to be associated with it.We need to treat them like individuals and start respecting them.” The campaign is aimed at mobilising support with the help of the Delhi Daredevils and actively fight for the rights for adolescent girls who are excluded and marginalised.The organisers also took the campaign to the digital space by launching www.d2c.in , a website wherein cricket lovers and others can pledge support through a Cheero- Meter for providing equal opportunities to all girls.The Delhi Daredevils’ players will also be sporting a blue ribbon as a symbol of their support for the deprived adolescent girls during their matches in the ongoing IPL-5.The Delhi Daredevils will be playing against Deccan Chargers on Thursday at the Uppal Stadium.