India vs SA: BCCI’s search for 'special' trophy yet to bear fruit

New Delhi: Despite the ongoing Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series being marketed as a marquee series, the BCCI's search for a fitting trophy for the Test series is yet to produce any results.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, BCCI wanted to make use of iron rods from Pune's Yerwada jail for the trophy.

Gandhi was imprisoned at Yerwada, which is why the board wanted to incorporate the material into the trophy.

However, BCCI has not received any communication from the jail authorities with regards to its request.

“It’s becoming difficult to obtain the material, particularly the rods we had requested. We didn’t get an encouraging response and for that matter any other belonging of Gandhiji that we were on the lookout for,” said a BCCI official told HT.

CSA on the other hand is confident of facing no such problems in procuring the barbed wire from Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned.

“We want to make this trophy iconic and the endeavour is to get something special of these two iconic figures to give the trophy its fitting stature. This trophy will be of a rolling nature,” said Haroon Lorgat, CEO, CSA.

If the two boards fail to get the necessary material, a gold-plated trophy will be presented to the winning side.