Prasad launches Crickingdom by Rohit Sharma in Dubai

Dubai - UAE opening batsman Chirag Suri has also joined the academy as a mentor

Former Indian pace bowler Venkatesh Prasad launched The Crickingdom by Rohit Sharma, a Rach Sports project, in Dubai on Friday evening.
Rohit, the Indian limited-overs vice-captain, is the mentor and director of this new academy in Dubai.
The Mumbai Indians captain will visit the new Dubai academy after his team's last match at the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) which will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10.
And UAE opening batsman Chirag Suri has also joined the academy as a mentor.
"The academy will directly work with Rohit Sharma. And what we will do is that we will be managing the academy from here," the 25-year-old Suri told Khaleej Times.
"And getting Rohit Sharma is such a big boost. It will inspire the kids. It's such a big inspiration. Getting him to Dubai to train the kids, definitely it's going to be a big boost for all the kids.
"So the plan is, Rohit will have his first session with the kids once his IPL commitments for this season are over," Suri added.
Meanwhile, Parag Dahiwal, Director - Global and Strategic Partnerships, Sportskingdom, said the academy would have a school-like 'progress report'.
"We will have a progress report for our students, we will keep a track of the players' progress, the goal-setting and the students also can provide their feedback," Dahiwal said.
"We have certified coaches like Shantanu Ghosh, who is a level-3 certified coach. He has worked with the Chhattisgarh under 16 and under 19 teams.
"Also, we have Khurram Khan, the former UAE national cricketer. He will be coaching the kids as well. Then we have Mahesh Hatkar who has coached the Ugandan national team in the past."
The academy, according Dahiwal, has already started their training sessions at the Springdale School, Al Quoz.
And the kids were delighted to see Prasad at the launch.
"Venkatesh spent almost an hour with the kids. It was an interactive session. The kids asked him questions about cricket in general and he shared his experience with him and spoke to them about handling different situations," Dahiwal said.
"Primarily he spoke to the kids about the process and asked them to avoid worrying about the results."