The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said that the BCCI will look to work closely with the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) to build an international cricket stadium in the state and make Uttarakhand cricket self-reliant.
Speaking at the Annual Awards Ceremony of the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand, Shah said: “We are in a phase where Indian sports is thriving. Be it the cricket team winning at Lord's or the athletes winning seven medals in the Tokyo Olympics or the Para athletes winning 19 medals in the Tokyo Paralympics. It has been a great effort from everyone. On August 13, 2019, the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand was recognized by the BCCI. Uttarakhand cricket's 19-year wait ended.”
The BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla and the CAU Secretary Mahim Verma were also present at the ceremony, where Shah assured that the BCCI will put in all the possible efforts to make Uttarakhand the land of cricket and take the game to every house in the state.
Recalling a conversation with Verma, the BCCI Secretary said: “I remember getting a call from Mahim Verma and him telling me that he wants to resign from the post of BCCI VP as Uttarakhand Cricket needs him. He is the first person I saw who wanted to leave the BCCI post to serve the state body. We will look to make an international level stadium here and make Uttarakhand Cricket self-reliant. With support from all of you, we will put in all possible effort to make Uttarakhand the land of cricket.”
Elaborating on how cricket is in the blood of every Indian, Shah said: “You all know cricket is in the blood of every Indian. When there wasn't television, people would follow the game on the radio. But thanks to technology, people can now follow the game everywhere. Kids playing gully cricket also dream of playing the IPL now.”
Revealing how the BCCI takes inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is keen to support the government's efforts to make India a truly sporting nation, the BCCI Secretary said: “PM Narendra Modi has said the revenue generated from cricket should help other sports also prosper in the country and as you know, the Narendra Modi Stadium has the facility to organize 40 Olympic sports events.”
He concluded, “Inspired by PM sir, we also contributed Rs 10 crore to help the athletes prepare for the Olympics. This apart, we announced Rs1 crore to Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, Rs 50 lakh to the silver medal winners, Rs 25 lakh to the bronze medal winners, and Rs 1.25 crore for the hockey team.”
(With ANI Inputs)
