Kolkata’s Eden Gardens witnessed a spectacular clash between team ‘India in the UK’ and ‘UK in India’ at the much-anticipated 4th edition of the Indo-British Heritage Cup.
In the fiercely contested match, ‘The UK in India’ emerged triumphant over the reigning champions, ‘India in the UK’. The winning moment came as Timon Basu exhibited an amazing innings, propelling ‘UK in India’ to a challenging total of 185. Despite a commendable effort from Judhajit Mukherjee, Jishnu Chatterjee, and Ankit Aditya representing ‘India in the UK’, their endeavors fell short. Ravi and Timon, with their strategic prowess, managed to put brakes on the chase, resulting in ‘India in the UK’ finishing 15 runs shy of victory. Director Srijit Mukherji, who was a part of the ‘India in the UK’ team, also showcased exceptional skills behind the stumps and expressed how batting in the middle and gazing towards the B C Roy Pavilion was a truly amazing experience.
Dr Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and Northeast India, shared his enthusiasm, saying, “I am delighted that we are bringing in partners from both India and the UK to forge deeper connections through the shared passion of cricket. It’s a delight to be in the iconic Eden Gardens to see our teams play the game and bond. This is what we aim to do through our sports diplomacy.”
Highlighting the crucial role, the event plays, Debanjan Chakrabarti, director, of British Council, East and north-east India said, “I am delighted that this fabulous Living Bridge narrative – involving the Indian diaspora in the UK, alumni of UK universities in India, colleagues at Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office – seeded by the British Council now finds one of its finest expressions in this annual cricket match at Eden Gardens. Education, culture, English language, and sports are unique to India-UK ties, and we celebrate all those connections through this event.”
