Thirty Dharavi cricketers watch the T20 match between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede
The young people from Dharavi sat next to the group of celebrities, including several actors, who had never attended a live international game.
Amol Kale, president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), surprised almost 30 Dharavi-based impoverished cricketers on Tuesday night by inviting them to witness the India v/s Sri Lanka T20 international game from a corporate box at Wankhede Stadium.
The young people from Dharavi sat next to the group of celebrities, including several actors, who had never attended a live international game. “Two days prior to the match, a WhatsApp group was created with the name India vs. Sri Lanka. I play for the District Sports Club, which was founded for youngsters living in the city’s slums.
We were unaware of its origins until Suraj Samat sir, a member of the Apex Council of the Mumbai Cricket Association, told us that MCA President Amol Kale had provided tickets for us to attend the game. We were astonished since we were unaware that it would be in the corporate box, said pacer Sarthak Mane, 20.
A 16-year-old pacer named Ankit Singh claimed that seeing the game inspired them to work harder. “We had never seen players treated with such reverence, and a lot of important people had come to see them. After the game, everyone was inspired to work hard to play for India, according to Ankit. There were over 23,000 spectators at the game. The Indian team won a nail-biting match by two runs to take a 1-0 series lead.
Many individuals do not have the resources to attend a live international game, MCA President Kale stated in response to the children’s invitation. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to provide a select players with their dream of becoming professional cricketers. It will be the best development if even one cricket player is inspired to play at a higher level.