JOIN USIn a rare gesture, Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) honoured its former Test cricketers -- Bishan Singh Bedi, Mohinder Amarnath and Anjum Chopra on Wednesday.
While Bedi and Amarnath unveiled the two stands in their names, Anjum inaugurated the gate commemorating her contribution to women's cricket.
"I never thought I will live to see this day. But it happened. Cricket lecture can only emerge from cricket culture. It is no milestone but for the first time Delhi cricketers are being acknowledged. I hope the trend continues," said Bedi, who also delivered a lecture at the DDCA's inaugural conclave.
Bedi, the legendary left-arm spinner, led Delhi to Ranji Trophy title wins in 1979 and 1980. Mohinder is best remembered in local circles for spurring Delhi to a memorable win over Karnataka in the 1982 Ranji final. His 185 ensured Delhi best Karnataka's first innings score of 705. He led the State to two more Ranji titles at Kotla (1980, 1986).
The event witnessed the felicitation of past Delhi Ranji Trophy captains, beginning with veteran Prakash Bhandari, with a citation and a commemorative cap. Also present was India captain Virat Kohli, who learned the nuances of his games on Delhi circuit.
The other former captains to attend the function include Dehradun-based Rajendra Pal, Surinder Amarnath, Vinay Lamba, Rakesh Shukla, Venkat Sundaram, Chetan Chauhan, Madan Lal, K P Bhaskar, Kirti Azad, Ajay Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant.
The event was an attempt by High Court appointed Justice Sen to revamp the reputation of DDCA, which has invariably been in the news for corruption.
The function was flagged off with an inauguration of the Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Hall of Fame by Pataudi's wife Sharmila Tagore. The hall bore the legacy of India's former captains besides the portrait of Delhi players who represented India in Tests.
Kohli honoured
The DDCA also honoured Kohli for hitting his 50th international century. Kohli urged the youngsters to take up Test cricket.
"It has been an honour to receive this recognition from Bedi sir. From running from him during under-14, under-15 days, for he made us train too much, to be able to do that now as part of life on my own, I have come a long way. As youngsters, we would look up to our seniors and hoped to be like them. The captaincy of Indian team is an honour and dream come true for me. I hope it will inspire youngsters to take up Test cricket," Kohli said.