Government proposes BCCI to organize India vs Rest of the World to celebrate Independence Day

The Ministry of Culture has sent a proposal to the BCCI to organize a match between India and the Rest of the World as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign to mark 75 years of India's independence.

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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah will be in England by 24th July for the annual ICC conference. They will discuss the proposal with other boards regarding their player's availability.

The sources indicated that the Ministry of Culture is in talks with BCCI officials to try and rope in top Indian players as well as popular cricketers from abroad to play the match as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign.

BCCI sources said at this point in time, the proposal is still being discussed. They said that there are a lot of "operational and logistical elements" associated with procuring the services of international players.

"We have received a proposal from the government to organize a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For the 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 source said

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He added during that time, English domestic cricket would be underway and the Caribbean Premier League would also begin. The BCCI is checking if international players will have to be compensated financially for their participation.

As far as the services of international cricketers are concerned, top BCCI officials will be in Birmingham for the ICC annual conference (July 22-26). They might speak to officials of other boards to release a few of their players for the match in India.

Getting the top stars of the Indian team won't be a problem, the sources said.

India to tour Zimbabwe in mid-August

An away series against Zimbabwe, comprising three ODIs, ends on August 20. Some of the players in this particular series might arrive only on August 22 and hence, would not be available.

However, top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant are not going to Zimbabwe. So, they will be available before they leave for the Asia Cup starting August 27 in Sri Lanka.

BCCI sources stated that all Indian players will be requested. They all are likely to join the squad for the match. They added that the Indian cricketers would need little convincing as it is an event organized under the aegis of the government of India.

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As of now, it is unclear whether the match will have the status of an international T20 or a friendly. However, if the match has been conducted, it's likely to be held at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

The government's Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign is an initiative to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence. It focuses on highlighting events and people who, despite being part of the freedom struggle have been left largely unknown and unheard.

According to the calendar of events prepared by the Ministry of Culture, the celebrations will include exhibitions on trains along with the Indian Railways, titled "Azaadi Ki Rail Gadi Aur Stations", and the Kargil Vijay Divas in July, when a motorcycle ride organized by the defense ministry will reach Tiger Hill.

In August, the birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, who designed the national flag, will also be celebrated.