Gates named after Anjum Chopra unveiled at Feroz Shah Kotla

What’s the story?

Former Indian women’s cricket team captain Anjum Chopra unveiled Gates No. 3 and 4 at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, which have been named in her honour. The DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) today made the announcement naming two gates after the former India skipper, who is now also a renowned commentator.

"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," Chopra said at the unveiling ceremony.

The details…

Anjum Chopra is the first Indian to play 100 One-Day Internationals. She also represented the country in six World Cups. She expressed her pride at the rich legacy of the ground.

Talking to ICC TV, the former skipper said, “The Feroz Shah Kotla is the second-oldest 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.”

She spoke about the outfield, its beauty and the involvement of the crowd. “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.”

The former left-handed batswoman also spoke about the competition and standard of cricket in New Delhi. “Delhi has really given us many cricketers, the standard of the sport hasn’t ever gone down, it’s always so competitive here. Even today the world’s best batsman, Virat Kohli, comes from Delhi. The comeback man – Ashish Nehra – has played in these grounds.”

In case you didn’t know…

Gate No.2 at the Feroz Shah Kotla is named after former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag. Also, continuing its recently-started tradition of honouring its former cricketing stalwarts, DDCA on Wednesday (November 29), named one of the stands at Feroz Shah Kotla after legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi.

What's next?

The Feroz Shah Kotla will host the third Test between India and Sri Lanka.

Author’s note

This step taken by the DDCA to honour former cricketers by naming stands and the stadium gates after their names is admirable. With two gates named after Anjum Chopra, it is also an extra incentive given to woman’s cricket. The former Indian skipper has long deserved this after representing the country for 17 years.