Date:09/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/09/stories/2008030958981800.htm

Sport - Cricket

BCCI should adopt varsity cricket, says Vengsarkar

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Cash incentives are the new and refreshing order in Indian cricket. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) handsomely rewarded the Indian cricketers for winning the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and the Commonwealth Bank tri-series in Australia, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Friday night disbursed Rs. 23.50 lakh to the Mumbai teams that won the BCCI’s under-22 Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy and under-17 Vijay Merchant Trophy.

About 47 players, managers, coaches and physiotherapists were given a cheque for Rs. 50,000 each by Dilip Vengsarkar, Vice-President, MCA and Chairman of the BCCI’s senior national committee on the lawns of the Wankhede Stadium.

In addition, the MCA presented mementoes to the Mumbai University team that won the Rohinton Baria Cup after two years. “The under-22 and under-17 teams are MCA teams and hence we decided to recognise their performance with mementoes and cash. The decision on the cash award was taken by MCA President Sharad Pawar and the Managing Committee. We had decided to underwrite the expenses of the university team and hence only mementoes,” said Hemant Waningankar, Jt. Hon. Secretary, MCA.

Vengsarkar made it a point to highlight two things after congratulating the teams: “It’s time the BCCI adopts inter-varsity cricket. I was a product of university cricket. I was captain of the Indian Universities against Tony Greig’s England in 1976. Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Milind Rege and Sanjay Manjrekar were all products of university cricket. But if I don’t see among you anyone in the stature of the cricketers I named, it’s because you are all satisfied with just playing the game. All of you will have to progress fast in order to emulate the legends of Mumbai cricket.”