In an attempt to create awareness towards road safety and the adverse effects of
blowing horns on the roads, India cricketers participated in a Twenty20
exhibition
match for the Tata Not Okay Please Cup on March 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in
Mumbai.
India’s top players, including Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina featured in the match played between ‘Road Safety XI’ and ‘No Honking XI’. The objective of the match was to encourage the public to stop honking as it is becoming a major cause of noise pollution in the country.
The then Test vice-captain of India, Ajinkya Rahane, while addressing Mediapersons expressed his concerns over the menace of noise pollution and pledged his support to the unique cause. The batting star compared sledging with horn honking when driving his car. Having experienced verbal retorts from rival teams at the top level of the game, Rahane has developed a distaste for such banters. “Just as I don’t like sledging (on the cricket field), I also don’t like car honking while driving,” said Rahane. “Noise pollution is a serious issue, especially in large metro cities like Mumbai. I’m happy to be part of the No Honking Initiative and contribute in the best way I can, by playing cricket,” added Rahane.
The Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri. Devendra Fadnavis graced the
during the match. Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Ajit Wadekar were
felicitated on the occasion.
The initiative by the Motor Vehicles Department, Maharashtra (MVD) in association with the Tata Group to raise awareness about road safety and no honking.
Manoj Saunik, Principal Secretary Transport said, “The turnout was overwhelming, the show of support by the cricketers for the cause of No Honking and road safety was amazing. The stadium cheered minus the sirens. We hope we move towards quieter and safer roads through our motto of Shant Bharat Surakshit Bharat, Swastha Bharat.”
Mr. Pradipta Bagchi, Group Chief Communications Officer, Tata Sons said, “The
Tata
Group is proud to be associated with the ‘Tata Horn-Not-Ok-Please’ T20 Cup. With
the
participation of India’s top cricketing talent, to the always electrifying crowd
at
Wankhede, we’re positive that we’ve made significant impact in raising awareness
on
the issues of no honking and road safety.”
This exhibition match was a joint initiative of the Motor Vehicles Department, Maharashtra (MVD) in association with the Tata Group.
Shri. Satish Sahastrabuddhe, Additional Transport Commissioner, Maharashtra said, “The numbers speak for themselves. There are more than 1.5 lakh deaths by road accidents in the country every year, and Maharashtra accounts for 15,000 deaths! What we need at this moment is a behavioural change amongst citizens. MVD has undertaken this initiative to effect a long-term change…we shall actively run this initiative until the concern of road safety and no honking is properly and adequately addressed.”
Dashing Ishan Kishan showcased his brilliance by smashing an unbeaten 124 off just 49 balls to power Road Safety XI to a thumping 10-wicket victory over Road Safety XI in the Tata Horn Not Ok Please Cup match at the Wankhede Stadium.
Ishan Kishan struck nine fours and 12 sixes and shared a unbroken 204-run partnership for the first wicket with Shikhar Dhawan, who remained unbeaten on 68 runs off 39 balls. Ishan’s sterling display ensured that Road Safety XI chased down No Honking XI’s target of 203 in just 14 overs.
Earlier, No Honking XI started well despite losing a couple of early wickets. Rishabh Pant (20) fell after a good start but KL Rahul and Shubman Gill steadied the ship. Rahul scored a brilliant 31-ball 56 while Shubman scored 23.
Yuvraj Singh (30) and Dinesh Karthik (29) too chipped in before Krunal Pandya finished off the innings with a 12-ball 21 to take NHXI to 202-9 in their 20 overs.
“We had to chase an excess of 200, so the pressure was there. But as I settled in it was pretty easy there,” said Kishan, who earned the Man of the Match and Most Sixes awards.
Raina too praised Kishan, his teammate from the erstwhile Gujarat Lions franchise. “Ishan has been brilliant, I played with him in Gujarat Lions, he can play freely and I wish best of luck,” Raina said.
Raina, Yuvraj and Dinesh Karthik wholeheartedly supported the cause they played for and were unanimous in voicing their concern to the growing decibel levels on the roads. “It’s a menace and leads to quarrels. I hope common sense prevails and we can drive,” Karthik said.
“People are dying on the roads so we have to stop it,” Yuvraj remarked.
“It was a good game for a good cause,” Raina concluded.
No Honking XI 202-9 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 56, Yuvraj Singh 30, Dinesh Karthik 29; Vinay Kumar 3-40, Hardik Pandya 3-40) lost to Road Safety XI 204-0 in 14 overs (Ishan Kishan 124 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 68 not out) by 10 wickets.
Man of the match:Ishan Kishan.
