Several former captains felicitated ahead of India's 500th Test against New Zealand in Kanpur
Ahead of the opening India vs New Zealand Test at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur, a host of former captains were felicitated by the host association- the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association- for their contribution to the game.
The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Dilip Vengsarkar, MS Dhoni etc were present on the morning and were given a showel and a memento for the occasion.
Mohammad Azharrudin, who was called up late for the occasion, was also present on the dais as were the likes of Krish Srikanth and Kapil Dev. A few Women’s captains were also felicitated on the occasion, including Diana Edulji, who led India and took 120 wickets during her career with her slow left-arm spin.
On Wednesday night, a dinner was hosted with many former Indian stars as well as players from the current line-up featuring in the gala event.
Among the prominent names who are not part of the celebration of India’s 500th Test are Bishan Singh Bedi, Nari Contractor and Gundappa Vishwanath.
The felicitation ceremony certainly is a great gesture on the part of the association, who should consider themselves fortunate to be able to host this significant Test in India’s cricketing history.
Wishes for India’s 500th Test arrived from international cricketers as well, with former Sri Lankan left-hander Kumar Sangakkara hoping to see a good game of cricket. Irfan Pathan and others, who are not part of this game also tweeted their wishes for the historic test.