Vijayawada: It was a festival of sorts at the Andhra Cricket Association, which boosted its infrastructure by kick starting a state of the art cricket centre and an indoor academy in the presence of the BCCI top brass here on Monday.
Development and hard work put in by the ACA officials was to the fore as the ACA-KDCA Cricket Centre at Mulapadu in Krishna district and the Indoor Academy at Mangalagiri (Guntur) were inaugurated by BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke, who expressed their amazement at the amenities.
Located at the foot of the Mulapadu hills, the Cricket Centre is a residential academy which has twin play fields with the administrative and accommodation building in between. Equipped with a swimming pool, dressing rooms, dormitories, dining hall and rest rooms, it has all the prerequisites of an international centre. The Green House concept has been adopted at the Academy and practice sessions can be conducted at natural lighting minimising power consumption.
The Indoor Academy situated on the premises of the ACA International Cricket Stadium under construction at Mangalagiri has seven indoor nets and a gymnasium with modern gadgets.
“I could not imagine this,” a dazed Thakur said. “I have been to all states but creating such an infrastructure for the benefit of local players is a huge achievement by the ACA. Seeing is believing and I would say the ACA is a model cricket association today.”
Thakur lavished praise on the ACA team. “I have been in cricket administration for 16 years now and have seen ACA really turn it around in the last few years. I used to think the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, which I headed, was the best but from what I see here...” he bowed to ACA secretary and BCCI vice-president Gokaraju Gangaraju.
Such was Thakur’s enthusiasm that he spoke without the aid of the mike, uninterrupted through a power cut, as players listened to him in rapt attention.
BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke followed Thakur in applauding ACA. “I am humbled by what I have seen today. ACA has taken the game to deeper pockets of the region and spread to interior areas. This will go a long way in supporting the cause and development of cricket in the country,” he said.
Gangaraju was overwhelmed. “It’s a golden year for us. The ACA would like to thank Mr Thakur and Mr Shirke for according Test status to Vizag,” he enthused.
He pledged to work harder. “The ACA wants to be next to none as far as cricketing activity is concerned,” Gangaraju declared, adding the Association has been spending BCCI funds judiciously and already had a surplus of Rs 50 crore.
MSK Prasad — former India cricketer, ACA cricket operations director and the man behind the scenes — was elated even as he kept his feet on the ground. “I salute everyone who made this a success. All the 13 district associations that form the ACA have been instrumental in the project under the leadership of Dr Gokaraju Gangaraju,” he said.
