Hyderabad: A day after the Bombay High Court chided the BCCI on excessive usage of water to maintain grounds during the IPL given the dry spell in Maharashtra, Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman revealed former cricketers headed by Sachin Tendulkar were planning to do their bit for the drought-hit farmers.
“We definitely feel for the farmers and I know for a fact that Sachin (Tendulkar) has plans to raise funds for them. As a cricket fraternity, we want to come together, contribute and help the farmers. I am sure this will happen in the near future,” he said at a function to unveil the new signings of his IPL team on Thursday.
Asked about the Court’s question to the BCCI whether the public or the IPL was important, Laxman replied: “I think both are very crucial. This year there is a lot of water shortage throughout because of a bad monsoon.” The Hyderabadi then went on to list cricket’s pluses. “Cricket is a great game. While there a lot of benefits, everyone is looking for negatives as far as IPL is concerned. It’s a game that not only helps youngsters, who learn from the exceptional universal talent they play alongside during the IPL, but also adds to the economy of the country,” he said.
Laxman however felt the IPL games in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur) should be played as scheduled. “I feel shifting matches to other states is not the solution. “We have to identify the root cause and I am sure the government is looking into it. The departments concerned should take precautions to ensure it (shortage) does not happen. We have seen so much of global warming. One of the major effects is the climatic change which will indirectly affect water levels,” he said.
