With the nation mourning in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on Indian security forces in Pulwama district of J&K, Vidarbha donated the prize money of Irani Cup to the families of the martyred CRPF jawans in a noble gesture.
Vidarbha are proving why they are champions on an off the field. The #IraniTrophy winners led by @faizfazal have decided to hand over their prize money to family members of martyrs of #PulwamaTerroristAttack. pic.twitter.com/Rh6i44nXrI
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 16, 2019
“We’ve decided to donate the prize money to the families of the martyrs at Pulwama. It is just a small gesture from our side. Hopefully, everything will get better for them soon,” said Faiz Fazal, captain of Vidarbha during the post-match presentation ceremony on Saturday.
The Irani Cup tie between Ranji champions Vidarbha and Rest of India ended in a stalemate on the fifth and final day. However, team Vidarbha was adjudged as the winners based on the first-innings lead, thereby ensuring a successful title defence.
Anger. Dejection. Despair.
We are at a loss of words. This bloodshed needs to stop.
RIP Bravehearts.#PulwamaAttack #IndiaUnited #StopTerrorismInKashmir #PulwamaTerroristAttack #Kashmirterroristattack #restinpeace #indiansoldiers #IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/ki7cRZmyeK— KreedOn (@kreedonworld) February 16, 2019
On Thursday, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist had detonated an explosive-laden vehicle near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus in Pulwama, resulting in the death of 40 personnel.
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Apart from Vidarbha, many other sportspersons and eminent personalities have come forward to support the families of martyrs. Most prominent among them is veteran Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who has donated an amount equivalent to the ex-players’ monthly salary. He has also offered to take care of the education of the martyr’s children.
Nothing we can do will be enough, but the least I can do is offer to take complete care of the education of the children of our brave CRPF jawans martyred in #Pulwama in my Sehwag International School @SehwagSchool , Jhajjar. Saubhagya hoga ? pic.twitter.com/lpRcJSmwUh
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) February 16, 2019
Vidarbha Retain the Title, Again
Rest of India skipper Ajinkya Rahane was left to regret the bold declaration on day four after Vidarbha had set a target of 280. On the final day, the reigning champions batted exceptionally well to reach 269/5. They finished their innings only 11 runs adrift of the target.
Earlier in the contest, Vidarbha had bowled Rest of India out for 330 in the first innings. They then had taken a 95-run lead riding on No.8 batsman Akshay Karnewar’s 102 to put 425 runs on board.
RoI boldly declared the second innings at 374/3 after Hanuma Vihari had his maiden, unbeaten century (180) with Rahane (87) and Shreyas Iyer (61) also chipping in vital runs.
However, the decision seemed to backfire as Vidarbha were successful in retaining their title.
