Kolkata: Former Bengal pacer Shib Sankar Paul’s first Cricket Academy was inaugurated today at the Baghajatin Tarun Sangha ground. Many renowned personalities like former India captain Sourav Ganguly, ex- Test cricketer Mohammed Kaif, Bengal’s former coach and captain Ashoke Malhotra, Bengal’s only Ranji Trophy winning captain Sambaran Banerjee, former Bengal skipper Utpal Chatterjee and Saurasish Lahiri were present at this auspicious occasion.
While taking to the media Shib Sankar Paul was looking very happy after his academy’s inauguration.” We have started this academy at Baghajatin area because it is connected to Canning, Laxmikantapur, Baruipur, Jaynagar and Sundarban through rail routes. A lot of talented cricketers live here and this academy will help them to grow as good cricketers,” said Paul.
Paul was born in Tufanganj, North Bengal, which is far away from din and bustles of Kolkata. The former Bengal cricketer also added,” I was born in Tunfanganj where we didn’t have much facilities. I have started this camp to help those players too who don’t have many cricket academy on that part.”
The former Bengal pacer also added,” We will take extra measures to look after the cricketers, who come from a poor family and this is the main reason we have started this academy.”
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was very happy to inaugurate the new cricket academy and want more academies like these in all parts of Bengal.”We need more cricket academies like these to move forward in cricket and I am hopeful that Shib’s academy will produce a lot of good cricketers in near future,” said Ganguly.
Former Test cricketer Mohammed Kaif was also present in this grand occasion. He praised Shib Sankar Paul for his initiative for the betterment of cricket.”I know Maco (Shib Shankar Paul) for a long time. When I was a part of Uttar Pradesh team I played a lot against him. He was a very good bowler and he had done a lot for Bengal cricket. I hope under his guidance a lot of new pacers will come out from this cricket academy and in my view we need a lot of academies like these in our country for betterment of cricket,” Kaif said.