New Delhi: The Indian government wants to organize a cricket match between the Indian cricket team and the rest of the world on 22nd August to commemorate 75 years of independence of the country, PTI reported. The government has reportedly sent a proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the special celebrations. The Ministry of Culture is in talks with some BCCI officials to rope in Indian players and popular foreign cricketers in this match as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit' festival campaign.
According to the PTI report, the proposal is being discussed at this time. PTI reported that BCCI received a proposal from the government to organize a cricket match between India XI and World XI on 22nd August. For World XI, at least 13 to 14 players will be needed, so it will be a tough task for this to happen as their availability needs to be checked at this stage amid a busy international schedule. England's Hundred and Caribbean Premier League will also be taking place at that time.
As far as services of international cricketers are concerned, top BCCI officials will be in Birmingham for the ICC Annual Conference (July 22-26) where they may talk to other boards to release some of their players for matches in India.
"We have received a proposal from the government to organise a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For a rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players and their availability is something that we need to check on,” a BCCI source told PTI.
According to the report, the availability of India XI will not be much difficult. The three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe ends on August 20. These Indian players will return to India on 22nd August and hence will not be available for the special exhibition. However, some Indian players who aren't part of the Zimbabwe tour, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant will be available for the event on 22nd August.