ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/18/2005 16 June2005
Border-Gavaskar scholarship to send Indian cricketers to Australia
Three of India's brightest prospects will arrive at Australia's Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence (CBCE) next week for a six-week stay as part of the annual Border-Gavaskar scholarship.
The scholarship program was founded in 2000 as a joint initiative between Cricket Australia and the Australia-India Council (AIC).
The three players - bowlers Vikram Rajvir Singh and Rudra Pratap Singh, and batsman Cheteshwar Pujara - were selected for the scholarship by a Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) panel headed by Indian great Sunil Gavaskar.
Now in their sixth year, the scholarships are financially supported by the AIC which was e stablished in 1992 to strengthen and foster ties between Australia and India across a range of sectors, including sport.
The scholarship program is an important part of the AIC's objective to promote understanding and cooperation between the two countries.
During their six-week stay at the CBCE (20 June - 31 July), the players will receive specialist tutelage and development support from some of Australia's leading coaching staff at the CBCE, including head coach Tim Nielsen.
The players will also participate in an emerging players tournament run by the CBCE in July involving the New Zealand Cricket Academy, Australian Institute of Sport scholars and players from Karnataka State in India.
CBCE Director Trevor Robertson said the scholarships offered the young cricketers a tremendous opportunity to broaden their playing and personal experience.
"Since the Border-Gavaskar scholarship was launched, we have seen a number of promising Indian players visit Australia to participate in some of our coaching programs and gain valuable experience under foreign playing conditions," said Mr Robertson.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for the players and the three young Indian cricketers due to arrive here next week have been earmarked in their country as players of the future for India.
"The experience they will gain while at the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence will hopefully help their growth on a personal and playing level.
"Australia and India share a passion for cricket and we are pleased that through the Australia-India Council, we are able to provide an opportunity to host these talented cricketers."
Welcoming India's young cricket ambassadors, AIC Chairman Darren Gribble said that cricket was a common bond between the two countries that help to foster the people-to-people links.
Mr Gribble said that the scholarship is a valuable opportunity for emerging young players to gain experience by being exposed to different environments and conditions.
As well as providing financial support for the Border-Gavaskar scholarship, the AIC also contributed to the design and production of the modernised Border-Gavaskar trophy which was reclaimed by Australia last October - its first victory in India since 1969-70.
The spokesman for the Australian High Commission, Mr John Fisher, noted that the program had been an outstanding success. "Although the scholarship program is only five years old, already six Indian cricketers who have benefited from the program have gone on to represent India, including such test and one-day regulars as Mohammad Kaif, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Parthiv Patel . They have already amassed 65 tests and 146 ODIs between them ," he added.
The Border-Gavaskar scholarship, named in honour of cricketing legends and former captains Allan Border (Australia) and Sunil Gavaskar (India) is also supported by the BCCI.
Border was an inaugural member of the AIC from 1992 to 1995 while Gavaskar is an inaugural member of the AIC's Indian equivalent, the India Australia Council, formed in 1995.
Previous Border-Gavaskar scholarship recipients are:
2000
Mohammad Kaif - batsman (7 Tests, 87 ODIs)
Sridaran Sriram - batsman (8 ODIs)
Shiv Sunder Das - batsman (23 Tests, 4 ODIs)
2001
Deepak Chougule - batsman
Vinayak Mane - all-rounder
Parthiv Patel - wicket-keeper (19 Tests, 14 ODIs)
2002
Lakshmipathy Balaji - fast-bowler (8 Tests, 28 ODIs)
Gautam Gambir - batsman (8 Tests, 5 ODIs)
Thilak Naidu - wicket-keeper/batsman
2003
Raiphi Vincent Gomez - all-rounder
Udit Brijesh Patel - off-spinner
Siddharth Trivedi - fast-bowler
2004
Shikhar Dhawan - batsman
Suresh Raina - all-rounder
Yalaka Venugopala Rao - batsman
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Beltrame
Corporate Communications Officer
Tel: 03 9653 9927 or 0409 524 482