HPCA names pavilion in the new stadium after Sushma Verma

The recently unveiled stadium of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has named a pavilion after India’s wicketkeeper-batswoman Sushma Verma. Located at an altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level, the new stadium at Gumma in Shimla district is the fifth in the state. The arena was inaugurated on June 1 by former BCCI president Anurag Thakur.

Shimla-born Sushma is the first female cricketer from the state to represent India in international cricket. Right-handed batswoman and wicket-keeper, Sushma made her debut in the Indian cricket team on the 2014 England tour. The news to name the pavilion after the 25-year-old has brought a new vibe of encouragement on the faces of the state’s women cricketers.

According to the Times of India, HPCA Press Secretary Mohit Sood was quoted as saying, “It’s a great motivation for the girls of the Himachal Women Cricket Academy and other players to work harder and perform at their level best to achieve such heights.”

The stadium includes facilities like a pavilion, dressing rooms, four turf wickets and has been constructed with an outlay of Rs.3 crore. The stadium’s outfield is encompassed with Class 1 Bermuda grass to give the players international standards.

It’s really a big thing for any player when a stand or pavilion is named after him/her just like Sachin Tendulkar. “We juniors have always been inspired by Sushma ‘didi’. She has been our support system,” said Harleen Kaur Deol, a trainee of the academy.

Established in 1960, HPCA was granted first-class cricket status in September 1984. HPCA also has to their credit, the sumptuous and magnificent Dharamsala stadium, which is also the second home ground of IPL side, Kings XI Punjab. The stadium first earned it’s recognition on the cricketing map when it hosted a warm-up fixture between Pakistan and the Board President’s XI in 2005. The association has also constructed the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, as well as the Luhnu cricket ground, in the backwaters of the Bhakra Dam.