"It is a good tradition": Congress MP Rajiv Shukla on Parliamentarians cricket match

New Delhi [India], December 15 : Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said that the Parliamentarians' friendly cricket match held here on Sunday to raise awareness about tuberculosis is a "good tradition."
He said that cricket matches of Parliamentarians had always been held, even when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister
"Cricket matches of parliamentarians have always been held, even when Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister...It is a good tradition," the Congress MP said.
In the friendly cricket match named the TB Free India Awareness Cricket Match, Anurag Thakur captained the Speaker 11 team representing the Lok Sabha while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju led the Chairman 11 representing the Rajya Sabha.
Anurag Thakur scored an unbeaten 111 runs playing a captaincy innings, owing to which the Speaker 11 team defeated the Chairman 11 by 73 runs, according to a press release.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the match by releasing the tricolour balloons in the air, while in the closing ceremony of the match, Union Minister Piyush Goyal distributed prizes to the players and encouraged them.
In this match, all the MPs came to the field wearing a special kind of jersey, which read, 'TB Harega Aur Bharat Jitega (TB will lose and India will win).'
In the match played at Major Dhyanchand Stadium in Delhi, Lok Sabha Speaker XI batted first. Captain Anurag Thakur completed his century in 59 balls and scored an unbeaten 111 runs facing a total of 65 balls.
Batting first, Lok Sabha Speaker XI scored a massive score of 251 in their stipulated 20 overs. Batting second, Rajya Sabha Chairman XI fell 73 short of their target.
Former captain of the Indian cricket team and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin was awarded as the Best Batsman in the friendly cricket match of Parliamentarians to raise awareness about TB.