Andhra Cricket Association honours Mithali Raj and Raavi Kalpana with stand and gate at Vizag stadium

The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) paid tribute to 2 of India’s astir accomplished women cricketers—former skipper Mithali Raj and wicket-keeper batter Raavi Kalpana—by naming a basal and a gross aft them astatine the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium successful Visakhapatnam connected Sunday.

The inauguration was led by ICC Chairman Jay Shah and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, with ACA President Kesineni Sivanath, Secretary Sana Satish, and different salient figures from the cricketing fraternity successful attendance. Also contiguous were ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta, Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird, CEO Todd Greenberg, BCCI President Mithun Manhas, Secretary Devajit Saikia, and Joint Secretary Prabhtej Bhatia. During the event, Mr. Lokesh presented Mithali Raj with a limited-edition handcrafted metallic cricket shot embossed with the ACA logo.

He stated, “Mithali Raj is not conscionable a sanction but an instauration successful Indian cricket. She has been a trailblazer and a relation exemplary for millions of young girls who imagination of donning India’s colours.” Following the unveiling of the Mithali Raj Stand and Raavi Kalpana Gate, helium added, “It is simply a substance of immense pridefulness for Andhra Pradesh that a basal astatine the ACA–VDCA Stadium volition everlastingly carnivore her name. The Andhra Pradesh authorities remains committed to honouring 1 of the top cricketers our state has ever produced. I anticipation galore much Mithalis volition look from our State to service the federation with the aforesaid dedication she has shown implicit 23 years.”

ICC Chairman Jay Shah praised the gesture, saying, “I congratulate the Andhra Pradesh authorities and ACA. Mithali Raj’s travel and achievements resonate worldwide, and naming a basal aft her is simply a fitting tribute. This volition animate much young girls to instrumentality up the athletics and enactment women’s cricket successful the region.”

Mr. Sivanath expressed pride, stating, “Honouring a surviving fable similar Mithali Raj reflects our heavy committedness to celebrating women’s cricket successful India. While she has fans each implicit the country, being the archetypal to person a basal named aft her volition beryllium remembered for generations.”

Mithali Raj responded, “It is simply a existent honour to person a basal named aft maine successful Visakhapatnam. My heartfelt gratitude to the Andhra Pradesh government, the Andhra Cricket Association, and its bureau bearers for this recognition. Visakhapatnam holds a peculiar spot successful my journey. It’s wherever I spent countless hours honing my skills, learning the game, and increasing arsenic a cricketer and person. Seeing however acold women’s cricket has travel fills maine with immense pride.”

Raavi Kalpana added, “This is simply a imagination travel true. Being honoured alongside Mithali didi is beyond thing I could person imagined.”