The former India captain says international cricket matches can be held in Tripura if the state is equipped with required infrastructure.
On his first visit to Tripura as its tourism brand ambassador, former India cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly urged the government on Monday to promote cricket along with tourism and heritage.
“I came here in 1988 for the first time to play in an under-19 cricket tournament. So, after 35 years, coming here as a brand ambassador is a matter of emotion, happiness and a big achievement for me. The Northeast has untapped beauty. It is the pride of the country,” he told reporters at the Ujjayanta Palace, a government-run museum, in Agartala.
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Ganguly said that international cricket matches could be held in Tripura as well. “Cricket is not a sport only but an emotion. India cricket tournaments can be organised here if there is a stadium. If such a match can be held in Assam, Kolkata, Bihar, then why not in Tripura?” he said.
Ganguly signed an agreement with the tourism department. He will again visit the state over the next three years to promote tourism and cricket.
Besides the Ujjayanta Palace, Ganguly will also visit Chabimura in Gomati district in his two-day visit.
Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said the state was planning to open new tourist destinations. “Sourav Ganguly will visit the other destinations in the state next time. We are hopeful of a smooth journey with him,” he said.
In June, a delegation led by Chowdhury met Ganguly at his Kolkata home. And Chief Minister Manik Saha held a telephonic conversation with him and later said he had agreed to be the state’s tourism brand ambassador.
The government will get Rs 70 crore to develop Agartala and Unakoti district as tourism destinations under the central government’s Swadesh Darshan scheme.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First published on: 11-12-2023 at 21:38 IST
