Laxman, Joshi felicitated by KSCA
First Published : 02 Sep 2012, 15:39
Last Modified : 02 Sep 2012, 16:06
Bengaluru, Sept 2: India’s legendary batsman, VVS Laxman, was felicitated by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the second Test between India and New Zealand. Former India and Karnataka off-spinner, Sunil Joshi, who retired from first-class cricket recently, was also honoured by his state association.
Anil Kumble, the president of KSCA congratulated the two stalwarts and acknowledged their contribution to Indian and Karnataka cricket. Laxman and Joshi were presented with a memento each in a small felicitation ceremony, which was also attended by another recently retired legend, Rahul Dravid. India captain MS Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher were also present at the occasion.
Both Laxman and Joshi were accompanied by their families. Laxman was as usual, an epitome of calmness and dignity even in his casual shirt and jeans. Thanking KSCA and his former teammate Anil Kumble for the gesture, Laxman said that as much as he’d like to be part of the Indian dressing room, he is “happy and satisfied” with the decision he’s made.
“It’s a great honour playing for your country and you’d love to continue doing that for as long as you can,” He said, adding, “But it was time to give opportunities to the youngsters for whom it was important to play a team like New Zealand before facing the tough England and Australia [teams].”
The first Test that India played after Laxman and Dravid’s retirement was the innings and 115-run win in Hyderabad, which was the first Test of the current series. Laxman said that he was pleased with the way the youngsters have taken up the mantle and wished the team well for the future. “The young boys have done fantastically so far. I wish the team all the best,” he said.
On being asked about his plans post-retirement, Laxman said that the priority for him is to realise his dream of winning the Ranji Trophy for Hyderabad.
“At the moment I’m looking forward to playing in the Ranji Trophy because I haven’t played too much for Hyderabad since 2000 and I think it’s my moral responsibility to give something back to Hyderabad cricket. I’m preparing for the Ranji Trophy now,” the batsman, who scored 8781 runs in 134 Test matches, revealed.
Joshi too took the opportunity to thank KSCA and Kumble for recognising his services on the cricket field. “It’s fantastic. It’s a great feeling. I’d like to thank Anil Kumble and KSCA for recognising my and VVS Laxman’s services,” Joshi said.
