Cricket tournaments

Of late there has been a massive increase in the number of Cricket tournaments organized within Kashmir valley. One is fascinated by the number of tournaments being conducted in a proper manner on matted wickets with zealous cricket commentators mimicking the style of famous commentators on national sports channels – and mimic they do really well. There is commentary going on on the public address system, and despite the busy schedule of people in the city and other towns of Kashmir a large number of spectators do turn up to watch the full match. Some of the commentators are so popular that people travel from far-off places to listen to their commentary. Cricket always had a great appeal among the local populace and listening to Cricket commentary on the radio was popular even in the 1950s and 1960s. The enthusiasm for cricket has never ebbed in Kashmir despite challenging situations in the last three decades. Kashmiris always find time to listen to cricket commentary, to watch it on television, and to endlessly talk about various cricket matches. One cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that the Lieutenant Governor of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha has overseen a massive overhaul in the way sports is being conducted in the Kashmir valley as well as in the Jammu region. The UT administration has spawned a professional sports culture unseen or unheard of in the past. The sports events are orchestrated in a professional way ensuring strict adherence to protocol, laws governing sports events, neutrality and, of course, the spirit of the game. The UT administration must be congratulated for conducting sports events with such seamless perfection. We expect this current wave of enthusiasm to continue in the coming years as well. At the same time, we appeal to the relevant authorities to conduct more and more tournaments in the countryside so that the youth from these areas can also benefit and get a platform to showcase their talent. We once again want to congratulate the LG Manoj Sinha-led administration for being proactive when it comes to nurturing sports culture in Kashmir Valley as well as in the Jammu region.