Academy to guide district talents to master gentleman's game

BALURGHAT: District police have taken initiative to set up a full-fledged cricket academy here in Balurghat shortly.

Speaking exclusively to Millennium Post, district police chief Prasun Banerjee said.

"We have immense cricketing talents in South Dinajpur and we are planning to set up a cricket academy in Balurghat so that they can properly be nurtured to get chance in state and national levels. The young talents who have potential to represent India in international level will definitely get a platform through this academy as well," Banerjee said.

Banerjee said sports are the backbone of the society and that is why he is planning to set up an academy here.

According to Banerjee, South Dinajpur is one of the backward districts in Bengal while the young talents need to thump weight beside them.

He said sports often take a backseat in many schools for the lack of proper equipments.

It may be mentioned that Banerjee always felt a need for proper cricket training and sports infrastructure for the budding cricketers of the district and dreamt of building a cricket academy right here in Balurghat to fill up the current void in this space.

Banerjee said he has aim at finding cricketing talents from the remote areas of the district.

He stressed on associating specialists and coaches who are attached with Cricket Association of Bengal.

Experts will be inducted to impart training to the youths. He said the initiative was necessary to help build a strong state level team as more than half of the cricketers in the present Eastern state team come from the districts. "Now it needs to take help from CAB so that we can get specialists who could nurture the young talents. CAB is eager to develop cricketers in districts and if you look at the current Bengal team, you can see more than fifty percent of the boys come from the districts. So I always believe that a very strong and vibrant cricket in the districts means a very strong state team," Banerjee said.

Banerjee said he has always intention to support and back the young generations to make their career bright and prosperous.

"We are also planning to give the responsibility of one-day police chief to such talents but it needs approval from the state," he added.