Orissa Cricket Academy, set up near Barabati Stadium in Cuttack by Orissa Cricket Association, drew praise from National Cricket Academy (NCA) director Sandip Patil when he visited the one-year-old training and coaching centre yesterday.
‘‘BCCI has been providing 50 per cent financial assistance to all state cricket associations to set up their academies, where cricketeres can be groomed in a systematic manner. Orissa Cricket Academy is one of the best in the country,’’ opined Patil, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team. He also said that if the state associations desired, NCA would provide coach, physio and trainer to their academies.
Patil is on a nation-wide tour to visit cricket academies and assess the facilities available there. At present, 19 out of 27 academies are functioning in different states. Disclosing that BCCI was going to set up three special academies, the former India all-rounder said the three academies would come up at Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai.