India is touring the West Indies for twin limited-overs series. On Saturday, the High Commissioner of India hosted a grand reception hosted for the visiting side.
The Office of Indian High Commission on Saturday (July 30) hosted the visiting Team India for a community reception at Hotel Marriott in St Kitts & Nevis. India is touring the Caribbean, having already played three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in Trinidad & Tobago and sweeping the series 3-0. It also leads the five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series 1-0, with a couple more games scheduled to be held in St Kitts & Nevis, followed by the final two in Florida, United States of America (USA). The ‘Men in Blue’, being led by Rohit Sharma, along with the team officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including head coach Rahul Dravid, joined the Windies team led by Nicholas Pooran and guided by Phil Simmons, among other community leaders and guests.
In his official welcome note, the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, with the additional charge of Antigua & Barbuda, St Kitts & Nevis, Dr KJ Srinivasa, welcomed India and the Windies cricket teams and conveyed hope for a competitive series. He restated the bond West Indies and India share, which dates back to 1953 when India first toured West Indies.
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Srinivasa spoke about the region’s welcoming spirit, hospitality and warm fondness for India, indicating that the local public strongly looks forward to seeing the Indian cricket contingent, presenting an excellent example of India’s ‘soft power’. At the same time, it is a fact well recognized across the world.
At the same time, Dravid indicated fond memories of his West Indies tours with the Indian side team and thanked the High commissioner for the reception. Windies head coach Phil Simmons said he expected more tight matches in the series and that both groups greatly regard each other.
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High commissioner Dr LJ Srinivasa and his spouse later gifted mementoes to skippers and head coaches of both sides. The affair included a characteristic Indian dinner and interchange for the guests.