Mumbai, Feb 1: Amid all the criticism for his team’s dismal performance in Australia, MS Dhoni’s contribution to grassroots cricket is nevertheless admirable.
Patronised by the India skipper, the MS Dhoni Charitable Foundation is currently conducting a cricket tournament called the Late Indranath Pandey Memorial Aircel Trophy in Varanasi.
The city-based tournament, which was first played between October 14 and 20, 2010, is committed to identifying special cricketing talent from small cities and providing them with a platform to showcase their skill. Flagged off in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the tournament will soon extend to other states like Bihar and Jharkhand.
The tournament is named after the deceased father of Arun Pandey, president of the PR firm that represents Dhoni.
The six-team tournament is played in the league format with the top two teams competing for the cup and a cash prize of INR 25,000; the runners-up receive INR 15,000. Individual excellence is rewarded at the end of the series in the form of awards to the best batsman, bowler and upcoming player.
The MS Dhoni Foundation Scholarship, a cash prize of INR 18,000, is awarded to a talented cricketer from a modest background. Well-known brands endorsed by Dhoni are associated with the tournament, sponsoring various awards presented to the players. The following is the summary of the three matches played in the current edition of the tournament in Varanasi.
Match Summaries:
Match One
S R V Club v/s Laxmi Medical Care & Surgical Centre
SRV Club 193 for 3 in 27.1 (Ashish Yadav 83; Vikas Yadav 58) beat Laxmi Medcal 191 for 7 in 30 overs (Pranshu Chaurasiya 61; Ashish Yadav 4-44) by 7 wickets
MoM Ashish Yadav
Match Two
N E Railway v/s Bhargav Bhushan Club
Bhargav Bhushan Club 195 for 2 in 27.5 overs (Karan Sharma 65; Shiva Kant Shukla 54) beat NE Railway 190 for 10 (Ashwani Mandani 85; Karan Sharma 4-31) by 8 wickets
MoM Karan Sharma
Match 3
BNS Club v/s Laxmi Medical Care & Surgical Centre
Laxmi Medical 205-6 in 35.2 Overs (Bijendra Singh 102*; Vimal Gautam 54) beat BNS 202-5 in 40 Overs (Amit Kumar 58; Pankaj 2-30) by 4 wickets
MoM Bijendra Singh
