New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Delhi & District Cricket Association honoured India’s World Cup champions, Pratika Rawal and Udhav Mohan, at the Sports Journalists Federation of India National Convention, hosted by the Delhi Sports Journalists Association on Monday.

The recognition ceremony was held as part of the SJFI convention's Golden Jubilee celebrations, bringing together administrators, journalists, and sportspeople to acknowledge achievements in Indian sports. During the event, DDCA awarded Rawal, a member of India’s historic women’s ODI World Cup win in 2025, a cash prize of ₹11 lakh. Additionally, Mohan, who won the Under-19 World Cup with the national junior team, received a prize of Rs. 11 lakh.

Speaking at the ceremony, DDCA President Rohan Jaitley said, “It is always special to recognise players who have risen through the Delhi system and gone on to represent the country with distinction. Achievements like these inspire countless young cricketers who dream of following the same path. As an association, we believe recognition and encouragement are important in nurturing the next generation of talent.”

Rawal regarded the honour as a memorable milestone in her journey as a cricketer developed through Delhi’s system.

“It feels really good when you are recognised on such a big stage, especially by the DDCA and by Rohan sir. It is a very privileged moment for me. I have played a lot of cricket for Delhi, and this is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Rawal said.

Speaking about the impact such gestures can have on young players entering the system, she added, “When you perform at your best, recognition follows naturally, so it’s intertwined. When you receive that recognition it motivates you to perform even better the next time. It becomes a cycle where you perform well, get recognised and then feel encouraged to keep improving. I believe this will motivate many youngsters coming into the system, both girls and boys.”

For Mohan, this recognition marked an important milestone early in his career. The young Delhi cricketer, a member of India’s 2025/26 Under-19 World Cup winning team, trains at the West Delhi Cricket Academy under the guidance of renowned coach Rajkumar Sharma, who also mentored Indian cricket star Virat Kohli during his early development.

“First of all I am very thankful to DDCA. This is very motivating for us as cricketers because when we know our association supports us and stands behind our goals it pushes us to do even better. It encourages me to keep improving, play better cricket and make my state and country proud. At the end of the day, every cricketer wants to grow and improve, and here we get access to quality facilities, the opportunity to train and play on some of the best grounds, and an environment where we can make full use of those resources. We practise hard and try to become better players,” Mohan said.

Reflecting on his journey through the Delhi system, he added, “I have always played for Delhi. I was picked in the Under 16 team and since then I have represented Delhi in Under 16 and Under 19 cricket before being part of the India Under 19 World Cup squad. Delhi has a very strong selection system where players have to prove themselves consistently and that helps bring the best talent forward.”

Jaitley also spoke about the future of cricket infrastructure in the capital, revealing that the association is working on plans to develop another international stadium in Delhi with accessibility as a key feature.

“We are also on the lines of making another international stadium and one of the core ideas behind that concept is accessibility. The aim is to ensure that individuals with mobility challenges, speech or vision impairments and those with sensory sensitivities are able to come to an international arena and enjoy the sport comfortably. Cricket should be experienced by everyone,” he said.

--IANS

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