The selection games to be held from April 10 to 13 in Baroda are a part of the nation-wide selection process to pick the best 16 physically challenged players for the World Series
It's nearly two months for the deadly terror attack in Pulwama where 40 CRPF soldiers lost their lives on February 14, but tributes and gestures continue to flow in. Physically challenged teams participating in the selection trial games for the first-ever World Series Championship to be held in England following the ICC men's World Cup, will be named after the departed CRPF personnel.
The selection games to be held from April 10 to 13 in Baroda are a part of the nation-wide selection process to pick the best 16 physically challenged players for the World Series. The names of the slain soldiers have been selected depending on the state the captain represents in each of the seven teams.
In the case of Iqbal Khan, who hails from Rajasthan, his team has been named after martyr Hemraj Meena. The two captains from Maharashtra - Ravi Patil and Vikrant Keni - will lead martyr Sanjay Rajput XI and martyr Rathore Nitin Shivaji XI, who hail from the state's Buldhana district.
West Bengal's Tushar Paul will lead martyr Bablu Santra XI, while Yashpal Sharma, who is a resident of Himachal Pradesh, will captain martyr Tilak Raj XI. Representing Jammu and Kashmir will be Nadeem Ahmed, who will lead martyr Naseer Ahmed XI while Vinay Yadav will captain martyr Ramesh Yadav XI (Uttar Pradesh).
The reason to name the teams after martyrs was taken by the All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC) general secretary Ravi Chauhan. "This is our way of showing support to the families of the soldiers, who lost their lives in Pulwama. We also believe that this will boost our players' confidence when they play for a team named after our country's real hero although they [physically challenged cricketers] too are heroes for all the hardships and sacrifices they make to pursue cricket," Chauhan told mid-day.
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