Mumbai, August 19: Masterblaster Sachin Tendulkar today said it was the responsibility of entire nation to encourage other sports in India. He said it during a panel discussion on Cricket in Changing Times, after unveiling cricket commentator Harsha Bhogles book Out of Box-Watching the game We Love here this evening.
It is our duty to support other sports of our country, he said, adding that it was not the only duty of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The panel, involving chairman and commissioner of the IPL Lalit Modi, former test player Sanjay Manjrekar, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-chief of Network 18, and Harsha Bhogle, discussed more on the nature of cricket that has changed after the success of T-20 format of the game.
During the discussion, when the panel members raised the issue of BCCIs initiatives to popularise test cricket to counter the onslaught of T-20 format, Sachin said that BCCI could take an initiative to allow students free of cost in the stadium during Test matches. He categorically emphasised that as people have less time to watch five-day cricket, the young generation could be encouraged this way. Tendulkar, the highest run-scorer in Test as well as one-day cricket, cited his own example as a cricket fan which enabled him to realise his dream. On the initiatives taken by the cricket body to protect Test cricket, Modi said that with the popularity of T-20 format, cricket has gained in terms of popularity and now more people watch cricket in stadium as well as at home.
Expressing his hope on the exsistence of Test cricket, Modi said that the new era, which was brought by the T-20 format recently, would attract cricket lovers to watch Test cricket in the stadium. On Sardeshais comment that BCCI was barring Eden Gardens by not allotting Test matches, due to Jagmohan Dalmiya, Modi said that due to the rotation system of BCCI, it happened. Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty, former Indian Hockey player Dhanraj Pillai and actor Rahul Bose were present at the programme.
—–Agencies