KS Bharat set to be felicitated in Vizag by Andhra Cricket Association ahead of 2nd IND vs ENG Test - Reports

Team India wicketkeeper KS Bharat will be felicitated by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Thursday, February 1, as he becomes only the second cricketer from the state to play a Test match at his home ground.

Bharat was born in Vishakapatnam and began training with the Andhra domestic team from the age of 11. He was also one of the ball boys during the ODI contest between India and Pakistan at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium back in 2005.

“Yes, we have planned a felicitation ceremony for Bharat,” ACA secretary Gopinath Reddy told Cricketnext.com. “It will happen here in the stadium itself on the Upper Floor of the South Stand. We requested a time for 2nd Feb, but the Indian Team management has given time for the 1st, so we will he doing the felicitation on Thursday.”

Including KS Bharat, only a total of three Andhra players have gone onto represent India in Tests, with the other names being MSK Prasad and Hanuma Vihari.

Andhra Cricket Association extends invites to BCCI secretary and president for second Test

The second Test between India and England might also be graced by the presence of the BCCI secretary Jay Shah and BCCI president Roger Binny after the ACA offered an official invite recently.

“We have invited BCCI Secretary Mr Jay Shah ji and the President and Vice president when we all met at Hyderabad recently. We requested their presence here at Vizag and we also hope to lay the foundation stone for an indoor net here. Even though we have not got a confirmation, we are hopeful that he will come here," Reddy said.

The Andhra Cricket Association has also confirmed that free tickets will be provided for school children, much like it was seen during the series opener in Hyderabad. The first Test witnessed a decent turnout, with the contest ending in the final moments of the penultimate day.

“We have allocated 2000 tickets in the K Stand to college students and school students who will be in their uniforms or show their identity card. We have also planned to hand out more than 2500 tickets each day for the cricketers who is playing for club cricket across our five districts," Reddy concluded.

Vishakapatnam has hosted two Test matches in the past, against England and South Africa in 2016 and 2019, respectively. The Men in Blue have walked out victorious on both occasions.

India will be desperate to make it three wins from three Tests at the venue after losing the series opener against England.