Gates named after Anjum Chopra unveiled at Feroze Shah Kotla
Anjum Chopra, the former India Women captain, unveiled Gate No. 3 and No. 4 at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which were named after her, on Wednesday.
In keeping with their stance of recognising the contributions of cricketers past and present, the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) also inaugurated the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand and the Mohinder Amarnath Stand apart from the Anjum Chopra gates. Earlier, in late October, the DDCA had inaugurated the Virender Sehwag Gate as well.
“Delhi has produced several illustrious cricketers and it's a great honour to be considered (by DDCA) as one of them. Kotla has changed a lot over the years and it is a humbling honour to have my name at the entrance gates,” Anjum, 40, said at the unveiling ceremony.
Chopra, a cricketer-turned-commentator who represented India in six ICC Women’s World Cups, expressed her pride at the rich legacy of the ground.
Anjum Chopra on the legacy of Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
“The Feroz Shah Kotla is the second-older international stadium, established in 1883, so definitely it has a history and a rich cricketing culture in itself and that gets transformed onto the field as well,” Chopra told ICC TV. “It’s a smallish outfield in comparison to what cricket grounds that are coming up. But the grass on the outfield is brilliant; it’s very soft and comparable to any international outfield. People love to come to the stadium and get into the excitement of making a noise. That’s the beauty of it, and when you have a smaller ground it echoes. If you are a broadcaster or a player, you just love to play in that noise. That’s the beauty of the sport.”
Having produced a number of international cricketers across formats over the years, the Indian capital city has had a huge impact on Indian cricket over the years.
“Delhi has really given a lot many cricketers, the standard of the sport hasn’t ever gone down, it’s always so competitive here,” said Chopra, the left-handed batter who was the first Indian woman to play 100 One-Day Internationals. “Even today the world’s best batsman, Virat Kohli comes from Delhi. The comeback man – Ashish Nehra – has played in these grounds.
“When you are playing in your own backyard, you have to raise that level of performance, raise that bar and stature, because you are not only representing your team, but you are representing your nation at large.”