Mumbai: It’s a special occasion for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as India will play their 500th Test match against New Zealand from September 22 and BCCI has decided to notch it up by inviting all ex-captains of the country in Kanpur.
Rajiv Shukla, Senior BCCI official and UPCA head said a host of events are organized to mark this historic event. A specially minted silver coin for toss with ‘500th Test’ embossed on it is being prepared for this landmark in Indian cricket history.
“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. The BCCI is making all arrangements,” Shukla said.
Legends like Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Krishnamachari Srikkanth are going to be the guest dignitaries in this event. Coach Anil Kumble will also be there and Rahul Dravid is believed to return for this event from his India A tour assignment.
However BCCI may not invite Azharuddin who was imposed of life ban for his alleged involvement in match-fixing scandal which broke out in 2000. While he was acquitted by court, BCCI has not invited him for any official events.
“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,” Shukla said.
BCCI and UPA will be giving T-shirts with ‘500th Test’ written on them to under-privileged children, who will be attending the Test match in the stadium. “Every day, there will be 2000 under-privileged school children, who would be watching their favourite stars in action. We have also made arrangements for physically challenged persons and kids from the orphanage, who would be attending the Test match,” said Shukla.