DDCA to open two academies for underprivileged kids, reveals Rajat Sharma

The DDCA named a stand of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium after India captain Virat Kohli and renamed the ground after former DDCA chairman Arun Jaitley on Thursday. In that light, the DDCA president declared the embarkation of numerous welfare schemes for the state team's present and former cricketers. At the Annual Awards Function, wherein Feroz Shah Kotla was renamed as Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Rajat Sharma announced that two new cricket academies will be opened in the presence of the India captain Virat Kohli.

"Following my friend late Arun Jaitley's vision, we have decided to have two cricket academies for underprivileged kids. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allotted land in Pitampura and CWG Games village," the DDCA president at the ceremony.

"We will open two academies in Delhi where players from the economically weaker background will get free training. Gautam Gambhir, Kapil Dev, Ashish Nehra, Virender Sehwag have agreed to help in this endeavour. Former greats like Sehwag, Nehra and Gambhir have assured me that they will help shape career of these kids free of cost," he said.

Sharma also announced a medical insurance cover for all current first-class cricketers.

"We will have insurance cover for all our current players. Also like BCCI has a medical emergency fund for ex-players from which they give Rs 5 lakh, we are also having a fund from which we will give Rs 5 Lakh to an ex-player who faces any medical emergency," he added.