The State cricket team that won the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy one-day tournaments was felicitated by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in a colourful function at Hotel Crowne Plaza here on Monday.
Tamil Nadu Premier League’s (TNPL) new logo was also released on the occasion.
The India Cements-TNPL will begin on July 23, with Dindigul Dragons taking on holder Albert Tuti Patriots at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
The event was attended by present and former cricketers, TNCA’s office-bearers and representatives of various clubs and TNPL franchises.
Srinivasan lauds effort
Speaking on the occasion, former BCCI and ICC chief N. Srinivasan congratulated the team for its effort and commitment in winning the two tournaments.
He said “Today we have three formats, and every format is important. I congratulate the team and the support staff. The coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar made the difference. We should maintain the standards and winning should become a habit.”
Srinivasan noted, “Talent and dedication led to performances. Credit must also go to L. Balaji who was a great mentor and coach for the bowlers.”
Turning his attention to TNPL, Srinivasan said, “There is a reasonable amount of jealousy at the success of TNPL. So we must work harder this year.”
He added, “Last year we had only cricketers from Tamil Nadu taking part. Restrictions were placed upon us. But we are resilient, we find a way to work around things. We are not fazed.”
Kanitkar said, “The true heroes are the team. For a coach to deliver, the team has to perform.
The support staff of Balaji, Ramji, Tulasi and others were excellent.”
Thanking Srinivasan for his guidance, Kanitkar called him the “Napoleon” among Indian cricket administrators.
Sharath felicitated
The selection panel led by former Tamil Nadu batting mainstay S. Sharath was also felicitated on the occasion.
P.S. Raman, TNCA vice-president and TNPL chief, highlighted several key performers including Dinesh Karthik who could not be present since he is travelling with the Indian cricket team.
Former India leg-spinner L. Sivaramakrishnan anchored the programme. Former India batsman W.V. Raman spoke on the occasion.
An audio-video display of Tamil Nadu’s performances was also shown.
The mood was one of celebration.
