As a part of his two-day visit to Chennai, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis played cricket with children from Karunalaya, an NGO working with street children, which included members of the team that won the Street Child Cricket World Cup in 2019, on Saturday morning.
Mr. Ellis handed over a jersey signed by the England cricket team, batting pads and gloves donated by skipper Joe Root to the children. “The children were thrilled to have Mr. Ellis interact with them, and play cricket on Saturday. He played like one of their team members and they were happy,” said Paul Sunder Singh, founder and director, Karunalaya. “This is a significant gesture by the British High Commission to encourage the children here to play the sport and motivate them,” he said.
A press release said the visit of the High Commissioner to Chennai marked the U.K.’s commitment to strengthen cooperation with Tamil Nadu, particularly on trade and climate. He was shown the region’s many strengths across healthcare, auto, manufacturing, renewable energy and coastal and water management.
Mr. Ellis said he was happy to begin his regional tour with a visit to Chennai. He visited Chepauk stadium to witness the second Test match between India and England. “This is a significant year for the U.K.-India partnership, both bilaterally and on the global stage. My immediate priorities include preparing for the U.K. Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to India and, I hope, welcoming India to the G7 and COP26 summits in the U.K. later this year,” he said.
Earlier this month, B. Monisha and V. Paulraj from the team that won the Street Children Cricket world cup in 2019 had the opportunity to interact virtually with Joe Root and Sam Curran, one of the star players of Chennai Super Kings, thanks to the initiative of the British Deputy High Commission in Chennai.
