Bhubaneswar, Mar 21: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met former India cricketer and ex-head coach Ravi Shastri during his visit to the state to attend the "MoU signing" event between 'Coaching Beyond' cricket academy.

Odisha CM took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote that they had a "fruitful discussion" on how to develop the cricket infrastructure in Odisha.

As per Naveen Patnaik's post, Shastri appreciated Odisha's "illustrious" sporting ecosystem.

"Glad to meet ex-cricketer & former head coach of Team India, Ravi Shastri, who visited Odisha to attend the MoU signing event between 'Coaching Beyond' cricket academy and Cuttack-based MGM School of Sports to establish a high-performance cricket academy. Had a very fruitful discussion on development of world-class cricket infrastructure in Odisha. Thanked him for appreciating state's illustrious sporting ecosystem," Naveen Patnaik wrote on X.

In one picture shared by the Odisha CM, it can be seen that Patnaik gifted Hockey India's jersey to the former India cricketer.

According to a release from Sports Odisha, MGM Group has established a state-of-the-art High Performance Cricket Academy near Cuttack city, 30 kms from Bhubaneswar, named MGM School of Sports to enhance the sporting culture in Odisha and produce more outstanding cricketers. It will promote the ideal objectives of a high-performance and quality-driven cricket culture in the state.

To kickstart this venture, up to 50 young male cricketers will be selected through a transparent process and offered high performance training at a subsidised fee. The number of trainees will increase in the future for both male and female cricketers. In addition to this special program, the academy will also run a daily coaching program that will be open to all age groups of boys and girls.

(ANI)

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