Thursday 25th September 2008
Modi: Aus in RCA lend credibility
Lalit Modi dons many hats and at the Champions League T20 presser, the media ensured he wore each one of them.
Modi, who was in Mumbai to unveil the logo of the Champions League Twenty 20 tournament, was drawn into defend the decision of the Rajasthan Cricket Academy (RCA) to host the Australian team prior to the upcoming Test series against India.
He said the Australian team practising at RCA had brought credibility to the academy.
"We are a new academy and are trying to prove our credentials. That a team like Australia asked us to provide such services is testimony to our commitment of building world class facilities in India," he said.
"It is an honour for an academy in the world to host a national team and I am proud RCA has done that. We will learn from the feedback the Australian players give us," he said.
Questioned on why India never manages to get such facilities in Australia, Modi said the Indian cricket calendar was so full that "teams usually do not have the time to reach venues well ahead of time".
"This is an unique year. Because Champions Trophy got cancelled and Australia had planned to be in this part of the world at this time, they decided to come and get some practice before the Test series," he added.
Modi said the arrival of the Australians at the RCA had also given the opportunity for the Rajasthan team players to practice and learn from world class players before the start of the domestic season.
"Even if we wanted this session for our boys, we would not have been able to pay for it. This is great for the Rajasthan team," he said.
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