Cricket is a great national passion and integrator and promoting cricket was like promoting national integration, Collector V. Sheshadri said while inaugurating the Under-13 Academy of Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association at the ACA-VDCA stadium here on Thursday.
Cricket is played everywhere and even in the far off places like Visakha Agency, Mr. Seshadri noted and urged the trainees to make best use of the training at the academy.
Sachin Tendulkar started playing cricket at the age of six and is active even after nearing 40 years, said president of Andhra Cricket Association D.V. Subba Rao, asking the young boys to get inspired by such personalities. He also advised them not to get stuck with the Twenty20 format of cricket which is popular now but to set their sights on the longer duration Test cricket which is the ultimate in the game. Mr. Subba Rao also advised the boys not to neglect their studies.
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President of VDCA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju asked the trainees to utilise the facilities available at the academy. He thanked the parents, who were present in good number at the inaugural function, for sending their children to the academy and assured them that VDCA would provide all support to the players.
Secretary of VDCA and former Test umpire K. Parthasaradhi explained how the academy would function. He was certain that many of the present set of trainees would represent Andhra in various age group tournaments and also the Ranji trophy and a few of them in internationals. The good programme started now would continue as long as VDCA existed, he said. Every year new batch of trainees would be taken and nurtured for future.
VDCA selected a total of 100 trainees for its five zones. Players would be short listed for concentrated training.
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VDCA vice-president P.R. Narayanaswami explained the growth of VDCA and its activities. Vice-presidents T.S.R. Prasad, D.S. Varma and D. Sanjeev, administrator of ACA-VDCA stadium B.J.J. Raju, and joint secretary J.K.M. Raju were also present.