Indian Government Requests BCCI To Organize A India Vs World XI Match To Celebrate 75 Years Of Independence - Reports

If reports from the PTI are to be believed then, the Indian government has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organize a cricket match between the Indian team and the Rest of the World XI on August 22 as part of the celebrations for India’s 75^th Independence anniversary.

Sources in the BCCI have said that the Ministry of Culture, which sent the proposal, is in talks with BCCI officials to try and rope in top Indian players as well as popular cricketers from abroad to play the match as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign.

The government’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign is an initiative to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence, with a focus on highlighting events and people who, despite being part of the freedom struggle have been left largely unknown and unheard.

A BCCI source confirmed getting a proposal from the said ministry and mentioned that it is still being discussed as there are a lot of “operational and logistical elements” associated with procuring the services of international players.

“We have received a proposal from the government to organise a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For the rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players and their availability is something that we need to check on,” a source said.

The BCCI is checking if international players would have to be compensated financially for their participation.

All Indian Players To Be Available For The Match, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Proposed Venue- BCCI Source

Given that English domestic cricket would be underway and the Caribbean Premier League will also commence, getting the services of top international players for the match might be difficult.

However, BCCI officials will be in Birmingham for the ICC annual conference (July 22-26), where they might speak to officials of other boards to release a few of their players for the match in India.

But the source said that getting top Indian stars will not be a problem, with stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant being available for the tie. Some of the players who will be back from the Zimbabwe ODI tour might not play given that they arrive just a day before the proposed date.

They added that the Indian cricketers would need little convincing as it is an event organized under the aegis of the government of India. The cause of concern at this time is to ensure that the quality of the World XI team is top-notch, they said.

While it is yet to be confirmed, the match, if conducted, is likely to be held at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

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