Madhya Pradesh: Sport personalities and infrastructure

Madhya Pradesh: Sport personalities and infrastructure

Sandhya Agarwal

Sandhya Agarwal (born 9 May 1963) is a former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. She hails from Indore. She played in 13 Test matches from 1984 to 1995, scoring 1110 runs at a batting average of 50.45, including 4 centuries. She reached her top score of 190 against England in 1986, beating Betty Snowball’s score of 189 that had held the record in women’s Test cricket since 1935. However, her mark was passed by Denise Annetts, who scored 193 in 1987. She also played in 21 Women’s ODIs, scoring 567 runs at an average of 31.50.

Fatima Bano

Fatima Bano is a female wrestling coach from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Born in a Muslim family, Fatima Bano started her career in sports by playing Kabaddi, in which she won three national medals. In 1997, as advised by her Kabaddi coach, she went to Patiala, Punjab and got trained as a wrestler. Under the guidance of her coach, Shakir Noor, she participated in various national and international wrestling championships and won awards. In 2003, she started her wrestling ring in Bhopal in a land given by the government. She was also given Four thousand Indian rupees as a monthly salary. She coaches children and teenagers – boys and girls. She also trained players from United States, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In 2001, Fatima Bano was presented with Vikram Award, the highest honour in sports given by the government of the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Arundhati Kirkire

Arundhati Kirkire (born 20 August 1981 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh) is a Test and One Day International cricketer who represents India. She is a right-hand batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace and is also a wicket-keeper. She has played one Test and 30 ODIs for India.

Roop Singh

Roop Singh Bais (8 September 1908 – 16 December 1977) was a legendary Indian hockey player. He was part of the celebrated Indian field hockey team which won gold medals for India at 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games. He was the younger brother of Dhyan Chand, the most celebrated player in Indian hockey and widely regarded as the greatest hockey player ever. Captain Roop Singh himself is considered as one of the greatest hockey players of all times.

Aslam Sher Khan

Aslam Sher Khan (born 15 July 1953) is an Indian hockey player and a former member of the Indian team. In the 1975 World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur, Aslam Sher Khan helped Indian Hockey Team to win the gold medal. He as a member of the Indian team also participated in Munich Olympics held in 1972. Khan has also been a Congress Member of Parliament and a Union Minister as well. In December 1997, Aslam Sher Khan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but resigned from the party on 27 January 1999. He authored an autobiography, “To Hell with Hockey”.

Shivendra Singh

Shivendra Singh (born 9 June 1983 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh) is the centre forward in Indian hockey team. He scored two field goals in a thrilling match against Pakistan in Commonwealth Games, Delhi which India won by 7-4.

In the auction of the first edition of the Hockey India League, Singh was bought by Punjab Warriors for $27,500 with his base price being $18,500.

Mushtaq Ali

Syed Mushtaq Ali (17 December 1914 – 18 June 2005) was an Indian cricketer, an aggressive Test batsman. Ali holds the distinction of scoring the first Test century by any Indian overseas, when he hit a ton for the team in 1936 at Manchester in England. He was a right handed batsman and a left arm bowler.

Sports infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh

Directorate Sports and Youth Welfare of Madhya Pradesh develops sports infrastructure and provides sports facilities in the entire region. State government has taken various initiatives for the development of the sports in the state. New Sport Policy 2005 has been announced to promote sports and develop a healthy sports personal pool by improving infrastructure facilities, organizing sports events on regular basis and motivating children for participation in various events. As per this policy, it aimed to set up a sport assistance fund while establishing State Sports Authority in place of State Sports Council, establishing district sports centers. Sport persons would be given preference for appointment as sports teacher in the state. Year wise calendar has been also prepared for sporting activities.

To develop sports in the state, Directorate Sports and Youth Welfare has established 17 academies and 30 feeder centers for specific sport. These academies are well equipped with world class coaching and training equipments. These academies include 7 academies in Bhopal for Martial Arts (Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing, Fencing, Wrestling and Wushu), 3 academies in Bhopal for Water Sports (Sailing, Rowing & Canoeing-Kayaking), 1 academy in Bhopal for Shooting, 1 academy in Gwalior for Badminton, 1 academy in Gwalior for Hockey (State Women Hockey Academy), 1 academy in Gwalior for Cricket (Cricket Academy Gwalior), 1 academy in Bhopal for Equestrian, 1 academy in Bhopal for Archery. And the feeder centers located across Madhya Pradesh include Hockey (25 centers), Archery (3 centers), Badminton (1 center) and Tennis (1 center). Madhya Pradesh Olympics association also operates in the state.

Some of the important sport complexes and stadiums are as follows:

Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

Holkar Cricket Stadium, formerly known as Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground is one of the main cricket stadiums in Madhya Pradesh. In 2010, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association renamed it after the Holkar dynasty of Marathas that ruled Indore for several years. Then it became popular as its present name, Holkar Cricket Stadium having seating capacity of around 30,000 people.

Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior

Captain Roop Singh Stadium, established in 1978, is a cricket ground with capacity of holding around 45,000 people, located in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Captain Roop Singh Stadium is owned by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and is operated by Gwalior Division Cricket Association. This stadium has been named after great Indian hockey player Roop Singh, brother of hockey legend Dhyan Chand.

Nehru Stadium, Indore

Established in 1964 at Indore, Nehru Stadium is a cricket stadium with a capacity of around 25,000 spectators. Nehru Stadium is owned and operated by Indore Municipal Corporation. The stadium is the mainly home ground for Holkars in Ranji Trophy. Nehru stadium has hosted One Day International match when India hosted the 1987 Cricket World Cup. The Stadium hosted its last ODI match on 31 March 2001 in which Sachin Tendulkar created the history by becoming the first player to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

Aishbagh Stadium, Bhopal

Aishbagh Stadium is a field hockey stadium with seating capacity of more than 10,000 people in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. This stadium is owned by Madhya Pradesh Government. Aishbagh Stadium is the home ground for Bhopal Badshahs, the World Series Hockey team. This stadium hosts several national and international hockey championships. The Obaidullah Gold Cup hockey tournament is the major International tournament which is organized in the stadium every year. In 2014, the Stadium hosted 4th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2014 (Division B) final match, played between Assam and Himachal Pradesh.

Tatya Tope Nagar Sports Complex

Tatya Tope Nagar Stadium is a multi-purposed stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The stadium is a main stadium in the city of Bhopal as Directorate Sports & Youth Welfare is located at the stadium. The stadium is the base of Boxing Academy,Madhya Pradesh State Men’s Hockey Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Equestrian Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Water Sports Academy and DSYW Academy. Stadium is one of the stadiums in Madhya Pradesh with a multi-purpose hall and an Olympic swimming pool among the facilities offered. Football, athletics, volleyball, hockey, basketball, badminton, cricket, handball, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling can be enjoyed here. The ground hosted its only first-class cricket match in 1982 between Madhya Pradesh cricket team and Vidarbha cricket team where home team won by 202 runs. Association football club Hamidia FC use the stadium for some of their matches.

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