Many legends pay obeisance at Vaishno Devi Shrine
Jammu has suddenly become a tourist hot-spot with several national and international cricketers roaming around the city,while fans made a beeline outside hotels to have a glimpse of favourite stars.
As per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a day after, Legends League Cricket’s first game at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, the cricketers including Harbhajan Singh ( Member Parliament Rajya Sabha), S Sreesanth and several others offered prayers at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Katra Reasi. Former Indian Cricketer, Suresh Raina, whose ancestors belongs to Jammu and Kashmir, visited Kul Devi Temple bordering Ramghar of Samba district.
Some International players, including Kevin Pietersen, Ben Dunk, Devon Smith, Martin Guptil, Nikhil Chopra, Rusty Theron among others enjoying their rest day at Jammu Tawi Golf Course.
Speaking to media-persons in Katra, Harbhajan Singh said, “I’m here to pay obeisance and bow my head in the feet of Mata Vaishno Devi. I’m feeling glad that I got a chance to seek blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi.”
About cricket pitch at MA stadium, he said, “The ground was very good and the viewers were very excited because cricket match has been organised in Jammu after years,” adding, “We enjoyed the match even we lost yesterday. We and the crowd enjoyed cricket.”
On India’s debacle in ICC world cup, former Indian spinner said, “When two wrestlers fight one has two see defeat and that day was not “ours but our team played very well throughout the tournament and we’re proud of them. Win and loss is a part of game and that day Australia played so well”.
Earlier, praising Jammu as a "lovely place," former New Zealand cricket captain Ross Taylor, who is leading Southern Superstars said he believes that the refurbished Maulana Azad Stadium in the heart of the city could be a venue for the Indian Premier League.
The cricketer is here along with over 100 former greats of the game for the season 2 of the Legends League T20 cricket, which brought the competitive cricket to the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of more than three decades.
The first of the four matches were played at the 20,000 capacity stadium under floodlights Monday evening and attracted an enthusiastic turnout of fans from all parts of the region, including the Kashmir valley.
“I think you have to leave a little bit more grass on it...different parts of India play differently and this is the beauty of the game of cricket. You don't want similar wickets everywhere and the black soil here was a bit low and slow,” he said. “Obviously, it (the match) came down to the last over and that is what you want in T20 cricket.”
He said: "People do come out at smaller places and see their heroes which is fantastic" Coming from a place no less captivating, Taylor felt mesmerised in Jammu. "I thoroughly enjoyed this place. It is nice to be in Jammu … I have not played here before. This is a lovely part of the world," he beamed.
Legends League cricket co-founder and chief executive officer Raman Raheja thanked the crowd for turning up in good numbers and said “the objective of the league is to take cricket where the game has not taken place for a very long time.” “Six teams with over 100 former international players have reached here on the third leg of the tournament. Eight matches were conducted in Ranchi and Dehradun and now we have four matches in Jammu,” he said
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