The U-19 cricket coach of Iran, Asghar Ali Raeisi, has appealed to the influential Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to support the growth of cricket in Iran.
Highlighting the success of BCCI‘s assistance in Afghanistan, which resulted in several Afghan players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Raeisi requested financial aid from the BCCI to build a state-of-the-art stadium in Chabahar
#WATCH | Chah Bahar, Iran: Iran’s cricket coach Asghar ali Raeisi, urges BCCI to set up international stadium in Chabahar, hopes Iranian players make it to IPL, says, "We want Indian cricket management BCCI to train our players and umpiring in Iran so our players also can play… pic.twitter.com/8qBimK2Umd
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2023
He also urged the BCCI to provide training opportunities for aspiring Iranian cricketers with the goal of them eventually joining the lucrative IPL.
Raeisi emphasized that Indian cricket icons MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli enjoy a massive fan following in Iran, and he even uses videos of their performances to help Iranian cricketers enhance their understanding of the game.
The coach expressed his belief that Iranian players possess the talent to excel internationally but lack the necessary infrastructure and training facilities to fulfill their potential.
“We want India and the BCCI to train our players and umpires in Iran so that our players can excel in cricket,” Raeisi added, hopeful that with the assistance, Iranian players could become part of IPL matches.
The disappointment among Iranian cricket fans was palpable when the Indian cricket team failed to win the recently concluded World Test Championship (WTC) final in June.
It has been reported that the Chabahar Free Zone (CFZ) has allocated a plot of land measuring ten hectares for the development of a cricket stadium that can accommodate up to 4,000 spectators.
The BCCI has a history of supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan, providing them with a home ground in Greater Noida in 2017.
Afghanistan has since produced several talented players, including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahaman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad, and Naveen ul Haq, who have all participated in the IPL.
The BCCI facilitated matches for Afghanistan in venues like Dehradun and Lucknow as well.
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