New Delhi: Former India cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad on Monday remarked that people started to teach him about cricket when the sport started to air on television.
He also asserted that the country should start discussing the 2028 Olympics are set to be held in Los Angeles in the United States and it was not the time for discussion for the Paris Olympics, which starts on July 26 in the French capital.
"There is no caste or religion of a player. And so the political parties, do not give much importance to sports, that they deserve. I want to thank West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for supporting people from all walks of life and helping them come to Parliament," Azad said in the Lok Sabha.
Azad, who is a member of Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, also recalled the days when there was no money in cricket and they used to travel in third-class railway bogies.
"Today, the condition is the same for our athletes, not cricketers. They stay in dormitories and this can be seen on television. If you want to speak about preparations for the Olympics, you will have to start discussing the 2028 Games right now..not when your team has left...
"When cricket started coming on television, people started to teach me cricket... they are unaware when Jeff Thompson used to bowl at 100 kmph, with Sunil Gavaskar is batting, or when Sachin Tendulkar is facing Brett Lee, they have a fraction of a second to decide the shot...but people are not able to understand," added Azad.
Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team, also raked up the issue of women grapplers being "assaulted" and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a mute spectator to it.
