GOVERNMENT BATS FOR INDIA XI VS WORLD XI ON AUGUST 22

By Bibhu Ray

(The Quiver): The government has send a proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organize a cricket match on August 22th between India and the rest of the world as part of celebrations to mark 75 years of India’s independence, sources said.

The sources indicated that the Ministry of culture, which sent the proposal, is in talks with BCCI officials to try and rope in top Indian players as well as popular players from abroad to play the match as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign.

“We have received a proposal from the government to organize a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22th. For the rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players and availability is something we need to check on”. a source said.

Top BCCI officials will be attending the ICC annual conference in Birmingham (July 22–26), when they may speak with representatives of other boards to secure the release of a couple of their players for the match in India.

However top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant will be available for the match before they leave for Asia Cup starting from August 27th.

The cause of concern at this time is to ensure that the quality of World XI is top notch.

While it is not yet confirmed, the match, if conducted, is likely to be held at Arun Jaitley stadium at Delhi.

The Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign is an effort by the government to celebrate and remember 75 years of independence with an emphasis on events and individuals who, despite being involved in the freedom movement, have mostly gone unnoticed and unsung.

The government has collaborated with its various departments as part of the campaign, but it has also partnered with NGOs, educational institutions, e-commerce platforms, and even the general public to highlight the nation’s accomplishments over the past 75 years.

The cricket match under the campaign would showcase the importance of sports and pay homage to the popularity of cricket in India.