Team India felicitated by UK parliamentarians

London: It may have been a nightmarish tour on field but off the field, Indian cricketers had an evening to remember when they were felicitated by the Indo-British Parliamentarians Group for their historic World Cup triumph earlier this year.

Britain's former Foreign Secretary David Miliband presented a Crystal Cup to Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at a Parliamentary Gala dinner held in honour of the team at the May Fair Hotel in central London on Wendesday night.
In his brief address, Miliband said, "Team India has delighted us, frustrated us and inspired us. Our two countries are divided over the cricket field - you as World Cup winner and we as, at least for the moment, No.1 Test Players in the world."
Miliband also wished Sachin Tendulkar for a "quick recovery" from his toe injury, which has ruled out the senior batsman from the ongoing ODI series. The injury-ravaged Indians had earlier lost the Test series 0-4.
"We love to see him get out but we love watching him play," he said.
A total of 19,000 Pounds were raised for two charities - Silver Star, the foremost South Asian diabetes charity founded by Keith Vaz, MP, and the MS Dhoni Foundation, created by Dhoni to nurture the talent - by auctioning three cricket bats signed by the World Cup champions.
Two of the bats were bid for by Subaskaran Allirajah, Chairman of Lycamobile, for 6,000 Pounds and 8,500 Pounds.
Lycamobile's CEO Milind Kangle received the bats from Farooq Engineer, India's former wicket-keeper batsman.
Leading NRI hotelier Surinder Arora got the third bat for 4,500 Pounds.
"Knowing that our guests were paying their first visit to Parliament as World Champions, the Speaker permitted us to go on the roof of the Chamber of the House of Commons very near the face of Big Ben," Vaz said.
"So it was, that one institution, the most famous clock in the world, managed to look at another - the most famous cricket team in the world, Team India."
At the top of the tower, Vaz presented a "Parliamentary Shield" to Dhoni.
On way to the Mayfair Hotel, he took the team to Number 10, the office-cum-residence of the Prime Minister.
"When I was first elected to Parliament I had the honour of welcoming Kapil Dev and his Team India to exactly the same place. It was an honour to see Kapil here this evening and also Engineer, one of history's greatest wicket-keepers," Vaz said.
Vaz also said that Leicester has offered to be the home of the first MS Dhoni Academy in the UK.
He told the gathering, "One day you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren, you spent the evening of 7th September 2011 in the hotel where the Kings and Queens of England used to take tea at the height of the empire."
"That you were here with a different Royalty; you were here with the Kings of Cricket. A group of young men who have united a nation and enthralled the world and made us so immensely proud of our Indian heritage. A group of young men who have sealed forever the unbreakable bond between India and Britain and the Indian diaspora."