KSCA announces stands for Dravid, Kumble and women’s cricket pioneer Rangaswamy

Former India captains Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Shantha Rangaswamy will have stadium stands named after them at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced on Saturday.

Kumble remains India’s highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs, claiming 619 and 337 wickets respectively. Dravid is India’s second-highest run-scorer in Tests after Sachin Tendulkar, accumulating 13,288 runs in 164 matches in the format, in addition to scoring 10,889 runs in 344 ODIs.

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“It’s been a second home to me. And it’s been a place where… we’ve probably spent more time than we have in our houses. It’s been a place of great happiness, and sometimes great disappointment as well,” Dravid said of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during a KSCA event marking 50 years of the ground.

“But it’s also a place that has truly given me everything I am today. I can never be grateful enough for what the KSCA and this great, iconic ground have given me in my life. I’m truly thankful that Venkatesh Prasad (the KSCA president) and his committee have decided to name an end after me. It means a lot.

“I know this would mean a lot to my family. My father, as many of you may know, loved the game. He was instrumental in nurturing the love for the sport that I have. He brought me here to so many matches – not only Test matches, but also Ranji Trophy games. Whenever he took leave, he would bring me here. As a young boy, we would attend at least one day of every match. He would be so proud today to know that his son has an end named after him.”

Rangaswamy, a pioneer of women’s cricket, captained India Women in 1976 and became the first to lead the side to a Test series victory. She was also the first woman to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and scored India’s first women’s Test century. This marks only the fourth instance in India of a stadium stand or gate being named after a woman cricketer, following similar honours for Jhulan Goswami in Kolkata, Mithali Rajin Visakhapatnam and Anjum Chopra in Delhi.

“What makes me even more proud is that I’m sharing this occasion and this honour with some people who I truly admire and respect – (like) to be honoured alongside Shantha Rangaswamy today, someone who has made a huge contribution to women’s sport, to women’s cricket,” Dravid said.

“Not only just cricket, but I think when you look at how women’s sport in all fields has progressed today, I think a huge credit should go to the pioneers like Shantha Rangaswamy for what they did when it was very, very difficult to play sport and to play cricket in this country,” he added.