Reports: Government requests BCCI to organise India-World XI game to commemorate 75 years of Indian Independence

It has been reported that the Government of India has sent a proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organize a cricket match on August 22 between India and the Rest of the World to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence.

According to sources, the proposal has been sent by the Ministry of Culture and they are in talks with the officials of the national cricket board to try and urge the Indian players as well as overseas cricketers to play a game as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign.

When asked to comment on the same, the BCCI said that the proposal is only in the discussion stages and that many  operational and logistical challenges lie ahead in ensuring the services of the international cricketers.

We have received a proposal from the government: BCCI source

“We have received a proposal from the government to organize a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For a rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players and their availability is something that we need to check on,” a source said as quoted as saying by NDTV.

Furthermore, the source also added that there will not be any problems in getting the top stars of Indian cricket including the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, etc. who will likely be rested for the Zimbabwe tour next month. However, there will be a great amount of difficulty in roping in international players who will be engaged in English domestic cricket and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Apart from all these factors, another thing that the BCCI is looking to overcome is whether the overseas players who will be a part of this initiative be required to be compensated financially for their participation. Even though the match is not yet confirmed to take place,  it will reportedly take place at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.