Mumbai Cricket Association Election: Ajinkya Naik Bats For Indoor Academy With Turf Pitches

Mumbai should have an indoor cricket academy with an "actual turf pitch" MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik, who is fighting the state association's presidential election against Sanjay Naik said on Tuesday. (More Cricket News)

On Tuesday, the third candidate in the form of Congress politician and vice president of the party’s Mumbai unit Bhushan Patil withdrew his name from the election which will be held on July 23.

Bhushan Patil's withdrawal leaves the race between two incumbent officials of the MCA, vice president Sanjay Naik and secretary Ajinkya Naik.

The election is being held following the untimely death of MCA president Amol Kale last month in the USA, where he had travelled to watch the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan.

"During monsoons, we don't have such good infrastructure, which can give an outdoor-like feel," Ajinkya told the media here during a press meet.

"The vision is that instead of going to other places, in Mumbai's MMR jurisdiction, we will have our own academy which will have an outdoor feel."

"I have been seeing a lot of facilities in the UK, Australia (and) there is one in Ghansoli. On the same lines, we should have one where there is actual grass and actual pitch because what we have right now is a turf pitch," he added.

Ajinky's name for the post of the president was proposed by former India Women’s captain and MCA’s Cricket Improvement Committee advisor Diana Edulji as well as a local cricket club official Jitendra Gohil.

"I have been working here (at MCA) since 2015. I was a marketing committee member, then I was an apex council member, (I am) now (the) secretary and standing for president’s election. You keep on upgrading, or it (the role) keeps on changing, but cricket is common," Ajinkya said.

"I definitely feel that I’m backing the right horse. Kale and Ajinkya were a very good team as a president and secretary. He is absolutely aware of what Mumbai cricket desires," Edulji said.