Reports | Mohammed Azharuddin stand to be unveiled in Hyderabad
According to a report, the HCA will be honouring their current president Mohammad Azharuddin by naming the North stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium after him. The stand will be inaugurated by Sunil Gavaskar just before the first T20I encounter between India and West Indies.
As India plan to take over West Indies to kick start the T20 series in Hyderabad, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has some different plans to kick off the day. The state board has planned to name the North Stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium after the former skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, who is also the current president of the HCA.
The former skipper, whose career came to an abrupt halt due to allegations of match fixing, will be sitting fingers crossed as the T20 match will be his assignment as the president of the board. According to a TOI report, an HCA official shared that the stand to be renamed is just above the VVS Laxman stand and will be inaugurated by former India skipper and legendary opener 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 VVS. 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 source revealed, according to TOI.
The official also shared that the match will be preceded by a felicitation ceremony where the state players who wore the blue jersey and flourished on the international stage will be felicitated.
"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 added.
As skipper Virat Kohli has made it clear that with the T20 World Cup closing in, the T20 rankings aren’t of any concern to him, it is evident that India will look to check its bench strength so as to form a core of players for the gala event Down Under.