Odisha Must Focus On Cricket Training At Grassroots Level, Says Azharuddin

Bhubaneswar: Odisha must focus on training at the grassroots level to groom more players for the national cricket team, former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has said.

“Although Odisha has adequate infrastructure for cricket, it has failed to groom national level players as it has not given more emphasis on training at the grassroots level. The training will definitely improve the standard of the players,” he told the media here.

The ace cricketer had arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday on the invitation of Utkal Gourav Foundation to supervise the site of a proposed Cricket Academy in Khurda.

Azharuddin said the government should select budding talents at the district and village levels and redress their basic problems. This will help the young cricketers to concentrate on their game and fare better without any pressure, he said.

He, however, added that the boys have to perform consistently as there is stiff competition to get a berth in the national team,

Azharuddin also praised the Odisha government for its contribution in raising the standards of hockey.

He said Odisha players have found their places in the national men’s and women’s hockey teams and displayed their stupendous performance in the just-concluded Tokyo Olympics. “The government should make similar efforts for improving cricket in the state,” he added.

After visiting the site for a proposed cricket academy at Barunei in Khurda, he informed that Utkal Gourav Foundation will set up another training centre over 100 acres of land in Keonjhar district.

The two cricket academies will have 4,000 trainee students from Class I to XII, who, along with studies, will get the opportunity to shape their career in cricket.

The blueprint of the two academies will be completed in two months.