Team India South lift first ever Street Child World Cup for cricket, held at Lord's in London

The children's cricket team, comprising four girls and four boys from Mumbai and Chennai, defeated eight other teams to take the world title on May 7, 2019

Curated By: Mexy Xavier

Published: May 9, 2019

(L to R) Surya (17), Shamma (14), Irfan (14) and Bhavani (15), practice a few days before they final

Image by : Himadri Sharma for Forbes India

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(L to R) Surya (17), Shamma (14), Irfan (14) and Bhavani (15), practice a few days before they finally leave Mumbai to compete with at the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019 held at the legendary Lord's Cricket Ground in London. On May 7, the team, India South, were declared world champions.

(L to R) - Nagalakshmi (17), Suryaprakash (17), Paulraj (17) and Monisha (14), during their pr

Image by : P Ravikumar for Forbes India

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(L to R) - Nagalakshmi (17), Suryaprakash (17), Paulraj (17) and Monisha (14), during their practice in Chennai a few days before they set out to Lord's, London, to participate in the Street Child Cricket World Cup 2019. They were part of the winning team.

Before the tournament, street-connected children were busy practicing across India. Here, preparatio

Image by : Subrata Biswas for Forbes India

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Before the tournament, street-connected children were busy practicing across India. Here, preparations are on in full swing at a cricket academy in Kolkata.

Shamma (14) shares a moment with Bhavani (15), while skipping rope at the local gym in Mankhurd, Mum

Image by : Himadri Sharma for Forbes India

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Shamma (14) shares a moment with Bhavani (15), while skipping rope at the local gym in Mankhurd, Mumbai. While Shamma was not initially enthusiastic about exercise, once she began, she wanted to master all the equipment available. Her older sister is part of the National Cadet Corps, and is her inspiration to be physically fit.

Surya (17) shows off some tricks with a football. He visits his friends near a temple in Maharashtra

Image by : Himadri Sharma for Forbes India

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Surya (17) shows off some tricks with a football. He visits his friends near a temple in Maharashtra Nagar, Mumbai, each day after lunch, where they spend the afternoon playing PUBG and watching videos. On this day, he did not have enough mobile data to continue his game, so choose to pick up a football.

Irfan (14), is seen strategising his next move in the board game ‘Business’, playing wit

Image by : Himadri Sharma for Forbes India

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Irfan (14), is seen strategising his next move in the board game ‘Business’, playing with his friends at Cheetah Camp, a slum area in Mumbai, where he lives. Currently, he works hard to manage time between his academics and additional classes, cricket practice and sketching. He dreams of becoming a cartoonist, which his parents are not keen on. His mother threw away his sketches and the medals associated with them, fearing that Irfan's father would beat him up for the same. She wants to support Irfan to follow his dream but is very fearful of the outcome.

Monisha (14), poses with her mother, Kuttiammal, on the street that they live on. Her mother works a

Image by : P. Ravikumar for Forbes India

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Monisha (14), poses with her mother, Kuttiammal, on the street that they live on. Her mother works as a cook and is very supportive of Monisha's dreams. Monisha shifted to Karunalaya hostel for a better environment to practice a few weeks before the match. While she would cry at the hostel when she missed her mother, she thinks the conditions are better for her to practice in.

For Paulraj (17), both parents are very supportive of his dream of becoming a cricketer. They own a

Image by : P. Ravikumar for Forbes India

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For Paulraj (17), both parents are very supportive of his dream of becoming a cricketer. They own a food stall at a station, and begin work at 3 am. Paulraj values their support, and the hardships they have undertaken for him.

Suryaprakash (17), takes his practice clothes out from a locker at Karunalya hostel, Chennai. Part o

Image by : P. Ravikumar for Forbes India

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Suryaprakash (17), takes his practice clothes out from a locker at Karunalya hostel, Chennai. Part of the winning team, he is also passionate about art. He teaches his other hostel-mates to paint in his leisure time.