Mangaluru: KL Rahul,the budding national and international cricket star, who hails from Surathkal in Mangalore and who made a name for himself, his city and country by scoring a dominating century in Austrailia was felicitated by Mangaluru zone of Karnataka State Cricket Association here on Tuesday March 31 evening.
Rahul spoke after being honoured. He said that he would love to see an international cricket stadium in his hometown Mangaluru.
“I have a dream, and that is to see a world-class cricket stadium in Mangaluru. I urge the Karnataka State Cricket Academy to take ample steps to make this happen,” he said.
“There are many cricket fans in Mangaluru and it is my dream to play a match here,” he added.
“I am presently experiencing the happiest moments of my life. Thanks to the support, encouragement, and constant guidance of my parents, teachers and physical trainers, I have been able to reach this stage in cricket today. I have always dreamed of becoming a cricketer. Some told me it was not possible, but even then I kept up my efforts and worked hard with full faith, because of which I am being recognized today,” he said.
He said that he was disappointed by his debut, but it only made him work harder, and he was was happy that he could make a comeback with a century in the next match.
Addressing the gathering, KSCA treasurer Dayananda Pai said, “K L Rahul who has achieved several feats in cricket in a short span is an inspiration to budding cricketers. The KSCA will undertake a project to build a cricket stadium in Mangaluru. Within two years, the foundation will be laid.”
KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel said that though land had been earmarked to build a cricket stadium in Mangaluru sometime back, the project did not materialize. “We will build a stadium this time round. We have already spoken to the DC about it,” he said.
Winners of various cricket tournaments were felicitated on the occasion.
Cricket stadium
Brijesh Patel inspected a piece of land located behind PWD quarters at Bondel, for the proposed cricket stadium project today.
After the inspection and discussions with officials, Brijesh Patel seemed determined when he told media persons, “We came here to inspect the land to construct a stadium with all facilities. We needed more than 10 acres of land to build a world class stadium. Nehru Maidan here is a public ground and has no facilities, so we need a ground within the city that can accomodate everything. This place (Bondel) is very ideal.
“The grounds at Hubballi, Belagavi, Raichur and Mysuru are ready but a few things like lights and other facilities are pending,” he added.
The Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim was encouraging when he said, “Mangaluru city has to be utilized in all ways; but only one part of the city is growing. Hampankatta has become a commercial hub, the crowd and traffic congestion has to be reduced. In this regard we have taken many steps like the proposed DC office at Padil, Pumpwell bus stand, MUDA office at Urwa etc.
“The Rang Mandir work is going on. As Kavoor is near to airport, this place is very ideal for building a cricket stadium,” he added.
“The Karnataka State Cricket Association wanted more than 30 acres of land to build a full-fledged stadium with all facilities. Now we have nine acres of land, which is ideal for a crowd capacity of up to 10,000 to 15,000. Out of nine acres, four acres of land will be used for stadium and the rest for building facilities. The proposal has to be accepted by the Karnataka State Cricket Association. There is not decision on the funds yet. Once the proposal is accepted by the state government, the work will start,” the DC explained.
