New Delhi, 18 September (H.S.):

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley has expressed his delight over the successful staging of ‘The Friendship Cup’ T20 series between India and Afghanistan. Congratulating India on their 3-0 victory in the three-match series, he said the series was not only a grand celebration of cricket but also an expression of the strong ties between the two countries.

Rohan Jaitley said, “Congratulations to the Indian team on their memorable 3-0 series victory over Afghanistan. ‘The Friendship Cup’ was a wonderful celebration of cricket. It was extremely heartening to see more than 85,000 spectators turn up across the three matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Thousands of fans from Afghanistan also travelled to Delhi to be part of this special occasion. The magnificent atmosphere witnessed at the stadium throughout the series reflected Delhi’s immense passion for cricket.”

He said Afghanistan’s decision to play its home series against India in Delhi was an excellent example of the strong relationship between the two countries and the role sport can play in bringing people closer together. He also described the series as being in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of strengthening relations with neighbouring countries.

The DDCA president said, “We are grateful to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and ICC Chairman Jay Shah for their support and efforts, which made this series possible and gave Delhi the opportunity to be part of this memorable chapter in international cricket.”

He said, “We are proud that the DDCA and Delhi could play their part in hosting three thrilling encounters between India and Afghanistan. The series gave fans the opportunity to witness exciting, high-quality cricket between the two teams.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar