How Amir Hussain Lone taught himself to play cricket after losing his arms

A video of a para-cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir recently went viral. In it, he is wearing the India jersey with Sachin Tendulkar's name on the back. He has no arms but still displays some innovative shots by gripping the bat under his chin and between his neck and shoulders. He also bowls by holding the ball between his big toe and the second toe.

The cricketer is Amir Hussain Lone, the 34-year-old captain of J&K's para-cricket team. Tendulkar saw the video and replied saying that he would love to meet Lone. A month later, Tendulkar kept his promise while on holiday in Kashmir with his family.

"It was such an overwhelming feeling that someone of the stature of Sachin sir came to meet me," Lone tells ESPNcricinfo. "Even talking about it, my happiness knows no bounds. The way he welcomed me, I don't have words to express my joy. I spoke to him for around one hour. We spoke about cricket, my journey, where all I have played matches. I then showed him my technique, the straight drive, cover drive.

"Woh kehte hain na, jab aap kisi se pyaar karte hain, toh aap uska itna intezaar karte hain ki poochiye mat." [They say that if you love someone, then you can wait an eternity for the person.]

In the video posted on Tendulkar's social media handles, he gifts Lone an autographed bat with the message: "To Amir, the real hero, keep inspiring."

Like a lot of 90s' kids in India, Lone loved cricket and Tendulkar. Born in Waghama, a village in the Bijbehara tehsil in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, Lone spent his early years trying to become a cricketer like his idol.

His life, however, took a sudden and unfortunate turn. In 1997, when Lone was eight years old, he was playing in his father's sawmill, where he got sucked into the machine and lost both his arms.

"Har ek kisi ka khwab hota hai. Mera khwab cricketer banna tha, Sachin Sir jaisa. Lekin accident ke baad, hamara ye sapna bilkul hi toot gaya.," he says. [Everyone has dreams, and my dream was to become a cricketer like Tendulkar, but after the accident that dream was totally shattered.]

It took Lone a long time to come to terms with his new reality. He didn't know how to face the future. A cricketer was the only thing he wanted to become, and eventually he began to find a way.

"I did not give up," he says. "I wanted to go forward in life and I worked hard, day in and day out, to become a cricketer like Sachin."

But how can you play cricket without arms? Lone didn't know where to begin, and his initial motivation was fuelled by the taunts he received from his neighbours. His family stood by him but the others around him viewed him as a freak.

"The people I used to play with before my accident turned their faces to the other side," Lone says. "They did not want to play with me, did not want to take me in their team. Whenever I went to any coach, he just used to say that 'you don't have arms, you can't play cricket, you can't do it'.

"But I made myself strong so that I did not have to depend on anyone. By god's grace, today I do not have any problems, but I will never forget how all those people used to treat me."

Lone recalls an incident, when he went to his neighbour's house to watch an India-Pakistan match as he did not have a television at home. Tendulkar was batting and whenever he hit a four, Lone would shout in delight. His presence, however, made his neighbours uncomfortable and he was asked to leave.

"I didn't quite understand what happened, why did they drive me out of their house? That's when I decided to develop my cricket."

Lone taught himself to hold a bat by placing it between his neck and shoulder. He learned to grip the cricket ball between his big toe and second toe. He practiced catching and fielding with his legs.

His drive, however, went beyond cricket. He wanted to become self-dependent. He taught himself to eat, use the mobile phone, and most things a fully-abled person can do, with the use of his legs.

"I worked day and night. And slowly I developed my skills to the extent that I started playing with fully-abled people," Lone says. "Most of the matches that I was playing were with normal people. I used to face fast bowlers and that too with a leather ball. I did not play with a tennis ball. I also bowl with a leather ball by holding it in my right leg. I have no problems at the moment, but to reach there, I really struggled."

It was when Lone attended Degree College Bijbehera in 2013 that his career as a para-cricketer took off. One of the coaches was amazed by his skills and advised him to register for a para-cricket camp being held in the state.

"When I enrolled in college, I saw a few players practicing with the coach. One of them asked me if I wanted to play, and I immediately said yes," Lone says. "I just played defensive shots. I didn't try to hit fours, didn't try to go for the big hits and batted for around 30 minutes.

"The coach really appreciated my batting skills. He said that he bowled every kind of delivery, offspin, legspin, fast. He informed me of a para camp. When the camp began, I was selected in one of the teams and we played some matches. I remained not out in those games and was immediately named J&K para team captain. I played my first national game in Delhi the same month."

Lone remembers his first game fondly. The opposition was dumbstruck by someone with no arms playing cricket. He scored 25 runs and took a wicket, but what happened after that is something Lone says he will never forget.

"Probably my best moment on the field was after my batting, players from the opposition team lifted me on their shoulders and shouted 'Bharat mata ki jai' slogans. This was an extremely proud moment for me."

Since then, Lone has played a number of para-cricket games, both in India and overseas. He's won accolades and met several established cricketers, but when talking about Tendulkar, there is a glint in his eye. He recalls the night before the meeting, his nervousness still palpable.

"I got a call the evening before and it was from Sachin sir's team. The person at the other end just said 'kal hamare liye ek ghanta nikaloge?' [Can you spare us an hour tomorrow?]

"I can't explain the happiness I felt after hearing this," Lone says, smiling ear to ear. "My joy knew no bounds. I tried having dinner at 8pm, couldn't finish it. I just couldn't sleep that night. I don't remember the number of times that I woke up. I kept looking at the time. Yaar itni lambi raat ho gayi aaj. [This is such a long night.] I just wanted the night to end.

"And as soon as I entered Sachin sir's hotel room, he hugged me. Even now, when I recall my meeting, I can't quite believe that happened."

Lone was recently in Bengaluru with his wife and son on an invitation from WPL franchise Gujarat Giants. It was his first visit to the city and he fell in love with the food and, of course, the weather. He also met the Giants players and visited the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to watch the match between Giants and Delhi Capitals.

Lone's story is a shining example of overcoming adversity, and he is philosophical about looking too far ahead. "Kal kisne dekha hai, kal kisi ko maloom nahi hota hai. [No one has seen tomorrow, no one knows what's in store tomorrow]. I have many dreams but firmly believe that only when god decides, those dreams will get fulfilled."