A T-20 Match To Take Territorial Army To People

[ROUDRAM]

[color=#3F3F3F][font=Georgia,]In a bid to make itself popular, the Territorial Army (TA) hopes to ride on the T-20 cricket craze. The TA, which has given honorary lieutenant colonel ranks to former cricketer Kapil Dev and current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has now lined up a cricket match between Kapil Dev XI and M S Dhoni XI.[/font][/color]


[color=#3F3F3F]Bangalore is the likely venue but the date has not been finalised. The match is expected to be held once the Indian team returns from Australia and Dhoni is available.[/color]

[color=#3F3F3F]Talking to The Indian Express on the backdrop of Dhoni being conferred the rank of an honorary Lt Col in the Bangalore-based 106 Infantry Battalion (TA) Para, Brigadier I P S Gill, commander, TA, Group HQ, SC, under which the unit falls, said, “The directorate has proposed a T-20 match between two teams to be captained by M S Dhoni and Kapil Dev. TA Group HQ, Southern Command, has been told to form a team for Dhoni XI.”[/color]


[color=#3F3F3F]Kapil, who has been inducted into the 150 Infantry battalion (TA), Punjab Regiment, which is under TA Group HQ Western Command, when contacted, said, “I am abroad and would like to comment after I return to India.”[/color]

[color=#3F3F3F]The match is aimed at taking the TA to people. “The idea is to get people from all walks of life to join the TA. And what better than two world cup winning captains playing against each other to generate that enthusiasm. In fact, we have planned inter-unit cricket competitions for shortlisting the best of the best terriers from our group. We have made it mandatory to make at least one representative from each unit,” said Gill.[/color]

[color=#3F3F3F]The match is expected to have representatives from a cross section of the country as TA Group HQ, Southern Command has 18 units in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Pondicherry, Laccadives (Lakshadweep), Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Haveli (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) besides other units under other commands. “The team of 18 representatives, one from each unit will form the TA Group HQ, SC team of the best 11 will play,” he said.[/color]

[color=#3F3F3F]Meanwhile, the TA training capsule for M S Dhoni is expected to start either before or after the West Indies tour at his unit and will include firing, dining in the officers mess, mandar parade, physical training test and a formal welcome into the battalion. Officers in the TA said that para jump, an irreplaceable part of para soldiers, might also take place post the consent and time availability of the Indian skipper.[/color]