According to the report by TOI, the five acre ground in Leicestershire is set to be named after legendary Sunil Gavaskar. This means that he will be the first Indian cricketer to have a ground named after him in England.
The legend is set to travel to Leicestershire to reveal a plaque of his name at the ground. As a tribute to Sunil Gavaskar, a pavilion wall at the ground has also been painted with his image, portraying a younger version of him with his bat over the shoulder while fearlessly gazing out into the distance.
The little master also has grounds in Tanzania and the USA named after him. This speaks a lot about his status in international cricket and his impact all around the globe.
Gavaskar in an interaction with TOI on Thursday, “I am delighted and honoured that a ground in Leicester is being named after me. Leicester is a city with possibly the strongest supporters of the game, especially Indian cricket, and therefore it is a huge honour indeed.”
The proposal came from Keith Vaz, the United Kingdom’s longest-serving MP of Indian origin who has represented Leicester in the UK parliament for 32 years.
Keith said, “We are thrilled and honored that Gavaskar has agreed to have this pitch and ground named after him. He is a living legend and over the years, has delighted Indians and other lovers of cricket with his record-breaking performances. To us, he is not just the ‘Little Master’, he is a great master of the game. Nothing delights the Indian population of Leicester more than when an all-time great visits us. There is now a part of Britain that is forever Gavaskar”.
“We have been in existence for 68 years. We could not think of a better role model for our young players than Gavaskar. It is wonderful that he has agreed to our plans. It is so special for future generations of cricketers”, Rash Patel from Bharat Sports and Cricket Club said.