AHMEDABAD: Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with BCCI secretary Jay Shah and other board office-bearers felicitated the Shafali Verma-led side that won the inaugural edition of U-19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, before the start of the third and final T20I between India and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Wednesday.
The batting maestro, Jay Shah, BCCI president Roger Binny, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and others, also presented the team with a Rs 5 crore cheque.
Addressing the fans on the special occasion, Tendulkar took centerstage and the entire stadium burst into the iconic "Sachin Sachin" chants. He then used the iconic 'Kemcho' line to address the crowd's respect. "Kemcho Ahmedabad? Majaa-ma?" he said.
"Firstly I would like to congratulate our Women's Under-19 cricket team for winning the World Cup. What a fabulous achievement. I can assure you that the entire nation and well-wishers of Indian cricket will celebrate and cherish this victory for years to come," said Tendulkar. The 49-year-old also recalled his introduction to the sport and hailed the pioneers in women's cricket for laying a solid platform for young girls to excel in cricket.
"My dream started in 1983 when I was just 10 years young. I would like to thank the past players who made it possible for the girls in the country to dream big. Shantha Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, Jhulan (Goswami), and many others," he said.
"By winning this World Cup, you have given a dream to young girls in India, to represent the country. The beginning of the WPL is going to be the biggest thing. I believe in equality for men and women, and not just in sports. There should be equal opportunity," he further said.
The batting legend also lauded the BCCI for the upcoming Women's Premier League, claiming "it will be one of the biggest tournaments in world cricket."
The Indian U19 women's cricket team beat England in the final to win the inaugural ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup trophy on Sunday.
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