The month-long The Hindu FIC–ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS) India Cricket Summer Camp 2026, organised in association with the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA), concluded at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. More than 600 budding cricketers from across the city, including over 500 boys and more than 100 girls, completed the coaching programme.

The camp, held from May 2 at the VDCA B Ground, MCV Ground, Coromandel Ground and Steel Plant Ground, received around 2,000 applications. A total of 36 coaches trained the selected participants. Participants assembled at the ACA-VDCA Stadium for the valedictory function, while parents watched from the gallery. Certificates were distributed in the presence of representatives of The Hindu, AM/NS India and VDCA.

Addressing the gathering as chief guest, O. Naresh Kumar, Vice-President of the IT Park Association, Vizag, congratulated The Hindu, AM/NS India and VDCA for sustaining the programme over three decades and thanked the parents for encouraging their children to take up sport.

“Sports teaches mental strength. One day you hit a six, the next day you are out for a duck. It teaches you how to handle success and failure,” Mr. Kumar said.

Emphasising that modern cricket demands more than technical skill, he urged youngsters to focus on physical fitness, nutrition and mental toughness. He made a special appeal to girl cricketers to pay attention to their health, noting that deficiencies in haemoglobin, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D were common among young girls and could affect their sporting performance.

He also called for greater investment in sports infrastructure in Visakhapatnam, stating the city’s rapid growth across sectors should be matched by improved facilities for aspiring athletes.

D.S. Varma, Head – HR, Vizag Asset, AM/NS India, thanked the coaches and office-bearers for their efforts in conducting the camp successfully. He highlighted VDCA’s contribution to Indian cricket, noting that the association had produced several national-level cricketers and Ranji Trophy players.

Highlighting the legacy of the initiative, VDCA Secretary K. Parthasaradhi said the summer coaching camp and The Hindu trophy had completed 30 years and said, “talented players identified during the programme would be considered for year-long coaching camps beginning in July.”

Speaking on the occasion, Sumit Bhattacharjee, Chief of Bureau, Andhra Pradesh, The Hindu, said the camp had become an important platform for nurturing young talent over the past three decades. “If you want to achieve greatness, what is needed is grit, determination and constant practice,” he said, while advising the youngsters to maintain a balance between academics and sport.

VDCA Vice-Presidents D. Sanjeev, S.R.K. Prasad, N. Srinivasa Raju, VDCA Treasurer P. Bhogendra Babu, ACA ground in-charge J.K.M. Raju, and Joint Secretary C.P. Reddy were present.