Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir has donated Rs. 4 lakh to cash-strapped Indian Ice hockey team on Tuesday. Ice Hockey Association of India’s (IHAI) started fund raising campaign in a bid to participate in the IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia Division I in Kuwait from April 18th. Gambhir came to know about the ice hockey team’s SOS calls on social networking sites and decided to donate the amount through his chartitable trust Gautham Gambhir Foundation.
“It’s the last thing to happen for a sportsperson that he cannot represent his country for the lack of funds. It’s the worst thing. After all, they will be called Team India irrespective of the sport they represent,” Gambhir said handing over a Rs 4 lakh cheque to the ice hockey team captain Tsewang Gyaltson at a Kolkata mall.
“I always wanted to support a fellow sportsman, whichever sport it is. I always felt supporting a small sport is always good. You need people to support small sports so that it become popular in future as well,” the left-handed batsman from Delhi said.
“I hope ice hockey can become really popular as well. It’s a great sport, it’s the quickest sport. We don’t know much about it because it’s winter oriented sport. But it’s great fun. It’s so fast,” Gambhir said at the event.
The ice hockey team’s captain, Ladakh-born Tsewang Gyaltson, said he was overwhelmed by the support and hopes to do well in the coming championship.
“First time we have had so much support, good to know a game like ice hockey is being recognised. We are practicing really hard and are hopeful of doing well in the Challenge Cup,” said Gyaltson on Tuesday.
