HUBLI: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Tuesday inaugurated the Sunil Joshi Pavilion at the KSCA Stadium in Hubli, in recognition of the former India left-arm spinner's outstanding contribution to cricket teams in the state and national set-ups.
BCCI President Mithun Manhas and KSCA chief Venkatesh Prasad officially inaugurated the pavilion named after Sunil Joshi during the Ranji Trophy Final between Jammu & Kashmir and eight-time champions Karnataka.
Joshi, who was accompanied by his wife Ravneet, became emotional during the inauguration ceremony, which was also attended by Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, the former Karnataka chief minister.
"A name in the pavilion that I never would have imagined this would come one day. I thank KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad, Sintosh Menon... A lot of commitment, which I have gone through the last so many years; that's the recognition today, and even if I can inspire one more player from here, then this stand will have a good meaning," Joshi told the media.
Joshi represented India in 15 Tests and 69 ODIs from 1996 to 2001, apart from being a mainstay in the Karnataka set-up. He was also the chief selector for two years, including during India’s 2-1 Test series win in Australia in 2020/21, and in all, served as a member of the selection committee from March 2020 to early 2023.
He also coached Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh teams in domestic cricket, apart from being the spin bowling coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL from 2023 to 2025.
Joshi is currently the spin bowling coach at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and was the bowling coach when India won the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Harare earlier this month.
The KSCA unveiled the pavilion in honour of Sunil Joshi at Hubli on the occasion of the KSCA Stadium hosting the fRanji Trophy final between Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.