By IANS
New Delhi : On a day he took off for China, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi played cricket with younger members of his party, opting to field at the slips.
And Gandhi proved to be “a good fielder”, T. Siddique, president of the Youth Congress’ Kerala unit, told IANS at the end of three short matches played by the Young Congress and the National Students Union of India (NSUI).
The venue was the National Stadium, in the heart of the capital. And for one described as the M.S. Dhoni of Indian politics, cricket provided a perfect way to bond with men and women he has been asked to lead.
Initially Gandhi had only intended to cheer the players. But once he announced that he would like to join the match, there was a row as to which team he would play for.
The Amethi MP resolved the issue himself. He asked for a draw of lots, and Youth Congress president Ashok Tanwar’s team got the VVIP on board.
Of the three matches – of 20 overs, 10 overs and eight overs – Gandhi played in the second. But he remained in the stadium throughout.
Gandhi, however, made it clear that he would not talk to the television crews who rushed to the stadium. While two teams had only male players, the third team had equal number of men and women.
“Rahul was positioned in the first slip and he proved to be a good fielder,” Siddique said. Another party member said: “It was a good opportunity to interact with Rahul.”
The 37-year-old Lok Sabha MP also had a meeting with office bearers of the Youth Congress and the NSUI in the evening at the party headquarters.