BCCI set to felicitate all former Indian captains during '500th Test'
In what will be a historic occasion for Indian cricket, all former captains are set to be felicitated during the country’s 500th Test which is scheduled to be held against New Zealand at Kanpur from the 22nd of September.
Aside from the arrival of some of the iconic names to have represented the nation, a specially designed coin with the number 500 engraved on it will also go up during the toss to signify the moment.
Senior BCCI official and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) chief Rajiv Shukla said, “The BCCI wants to felicitate all the former captains during the Test match. Green Park is one of the first four Test venues in India along with Chepauk, Wankhede and Eden Gardens. It will be a fitting tribute to all those former captains who could be present on the occasion.”
India became the sixth Test playing country and took part in their inaugural Test in June 1932 against England at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. In all, they have had 32 captains starting from CK Nayudu to the current one Virat Kohli and will join England (976), Australia (791) and West Indies (517) in reaching the 500 mark.
Former skippers including Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag are expected to be present at the venue with national coach Anil Kumble as well as India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid also joining the group.
However, it is still unclear if Mohammad Azharuddin will attend the ceremony. Initially being handed a life ban for his involvement in the 2000 match-fixing scandal, he managed to overturn the ban following a directive from the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2012. However, BCCI have not been inviting him for official events.
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Shukla affirmed, “The BCCI is making all arrangements. The BCCI along with UPCA will also be hosting a dinner for the Indian captains where both India and New Zealand teams will be present.”
Another heart-warming gesture will see numerous underprivileged and physically challenged children turning out for the match decked in specially made T-shirts with the words ‘500th Test’ written on them.
Shukla revealed, “Every day, there will be 2000 under-privileged school children who would be watching their favorite stars in action. We have also made arrangements for physically challenged persons and kids from the orphanage who would be attending the Test match.”
A packed home season comprising of as many as 13 Tests will kick start with the 3-match series against New Zealand at the Green Park Stadium.