Apart from the series-opening game between India and Windies, today is another special day in Indian cricket. The former Indian skipper and the present president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), Mohammad Azharuddin will see to be extremely important. Not only he will be administrating the first game, but the North Stand will also be named after him before the game starts.
As reported by the HCA official, the stand above the V.V.S. Laxman pavilion has been named after the former Indian skipper that will most likely be inaugurated by the legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
“We will start the day by inaugurating the Mohammad Azharuddin stand which is now basically the North Stand. This will be the one above the V.V.S. Laxman players pavilion. Gavaskar could be the one who will be inaugurating the new stand in the name of one of India’s most successful captains,” the official revealed.
Both the hosts India and the visiting West Indies will be gearing up for the T20 opener of the three-match series on Friday (6th December). On one side, the Men in Blue have emerged as the winners, clean-sweeping the opponents in most series, the other side Windies side are the two-time T20 World Cup winners but currently struggling.
Earlier this year, right after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India visited West Indies and United States for a three-match T20 and as many ODI series and a two-match Test series. The Virat Kohli and Co. were the overall winners on their last away from home assignment. And ever since then, Kohli’s squad has been dominating the cricket arena, winning most of the matches.
Azharuddin stand most likely to be inaugurated by Sunil Gavaskar
Azharuddin is among one of the most successful leaders in Indian cricket. The former skipper of India national cricket team had led the team for 14 victorious Test matches and 90 one-day wins out of the 174 ODIs. It will be the honour and pride for the legendary cricketer of India as a stand has been named after him.
In the meantime, the HCA official also revealed that a small felicitation ceremony will be held before the two teams take over the ground. The ceremony will be held to honour all the Hyderabad players who have contributed to represent the country in the gentleman’s game.
“We will have a small ceremony before the game wherein along with the inauguration of the new stand, we will also felicitate players from Hyderabad who have donned the national cap and brought laurels to the country,” he said.
However, after the celebration, both India and West Indies will gather on the field to take down their opponents. India who had been dominating in every format of cricket will look to once again register a perfect win, if not whitewash, against the T20 Champions. Whereas the Caribbean side will be entering the cricket arena as the underdogs after their defeat in the last encounter with the Men in Blue.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian squad will once again try out the new youngster cards in the game in order to get the perfect squad for the T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia. Kohli has clearly stated that the rankings won’t matter for the Indian T20I side.