New Zealand cricket team spend time with children from World Vision India
The New Zealand cricket team's tour of India came to an end after the final ODI that was played in Vizag on 29th October. The month-long tour that started with a three-match Test series from the 22nd of September saw the Indians dominating the Kiwis in the Test format with a 3-0 whitewash and a tense ODI series which was eventually won by the Indians again by a 3-2 margin.
However, the last ODI in Vizag had something peculiar in store for the cricketing fans across the globe. While the Indian team made a public gesture of wearing the jersey's with their mother's name in support of the Star Plus campaign "Nayi Soch," the Kiwis did something equally good that was heart-warming for the fans across the globe.
Also read: Indian cricketers wear their mothers' name on their jersey as India take on New Zealand in the 5th ODI
The New Zealand squad spent time with some of the children from World Vision India during their practice session ahead of the final ODI in Vizag on 29th October. The team, along with the skipper and the head coach took some time off their schedule to bring a smile on the children's face.
Check out the video posted on the official page of Blackcaps on Facebook.
World Vision International is a humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1950 by Robert Pierce as a service organization to meet the emergency needs of missionaries. It is active in more than 90 countries across the globe. The organization runs a child sponsorship program which aims to help needy children access the basic necessities and participate in an age-appropriate development process.
The New Zealand squad hung out with some of the children from the Vizag community of World Vision India and seemed to enjoy their company. The children, on the other hand, were astonished to meet some of the great cricketers of the modern day.
Also read: India vs New Zealand 2016: 5 takeaways from the ODI series
Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson said that he was pleased by the initiative of World Vision and was enjoying the atmosphere. He said that he was pretty amused by the interest shown by the kids for cricket in India. All-rounder Corey Anderson too, pitched in with support for the initiative and said that he was fortunate to be part of it. He also stated that it was a moment that he would cherish for a long time.
The likes of Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham were having quite a good time with the kids and took several photographs with them. The New Zealand cricket team gave away some cricketing kits comprising bats, pads, gloves and signed jerseys as a token of love for the children. The children even got to bowl and bat with the players and took a group photograph with the entire New Zealand cricket team before bidding adieu.