Cash awards worth Rs 16.5L given away, Jitesh, Malewar, Ashwini honoured

Top individual performers as well as champions and runners-up of various local tournaments, organised by the VCA in the past three seasons, were rewarded for their feats. The function was held after three years because the action on the field was heavily curtailed in 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons because of pandemic-related restrictions.

VCA’s former president Adv Adwait Manohar presided over the function. VCA president Justice Vinay Deshpande (Retd), welcomed the gathering and urged the players to give their best on the field and assured them that the Association will continue to support them in every possible way.

Vidarbha’s senior team player Jitesh Sharma was felicitated by the Association for his selection in the Indian squad during the T20I home series against Sri Lanka as well as India’s T20 squad for the upcoming Asian Games.

Adv Manohar, who also felicitated Ankita Guha, who is the first woman umpire from Vidarbha to be inducted in the BCCI panel.

Young Danish Malewar received the best junior cricketer of the Year award for playing a starring role in Vidarbha’s U-19 boys’ team which won a double crown in the 2022-23 domestic season.

Ashwini Deshmukh was awarded the best junior cricketer of the year in the women’s category.

Former India pacer Prashant Vaidya, who is the Chairman of VCA’s Cricket Development Committee, had a special word of praise for players from the districts, many of whom have broken into various age-group teams of Vidarbha.

Also present on the occasion were VCA’s Cricket Development Committee, chairman Prashant Vaidya, VCA secretary Sanjay Badkas, joint secretary Chandrakant Manke, treasurer Arjun Phatak, Adv. Anand Deshpande,Nitesh Upadhyay and Samir Gujar.