Click to play videoNew Delhi: Tihar Jail's winter Olympics cricket tournament held every year, came to an end on January 12.
The games not only grabbed attention of the fellow inmates but also famous cricketers Virender Sehwag and Murli Kartik who were present at the event to motivate the prisoners-turned-cricketers.
However, Sehwag and Karthik did not take part in the actual match but were merely spectators at Inter-jail Winter Olympics cricket final at the Tihar Jail.
As wickets fell and boundaries were hit, the stars cheered the inmates on.
"(I am) very happy to come here and see prisoners playing cricket, enjoying themselves and trying to be good human being. In the end they can go back and live in the society," said Sehwag.
"It is an eye opener for us. i think it is good for all the inmates as well. Over here we are moving freely and everybody is feeling safe. So I think it is great concept," Kartik said.
Even though it ended in a tie, the excitement at the match was palpable... Every stroke was cheered on by Tihar's own set of cheerleaders.
"Nobody likes to be here. Nobody likes to be here for seven years but it was a pleasant change. It was nice," a jail inmate and captain of one of the teams, Manu Sharma, said.
The annual Olympics are being held at Tihar for the past one decade. Inmates are actively encouraged to take part in the various events.
"The idea is just to promote team spirit, discipline as well as harmony among the inmates," said, BK Gupta, Director General (Prisons).
Celebrities are invited for the cricket finals of winter Olympics every year. It is an initiative which makes prisoners feel at par with the other citizens and is played with high spirits with a motive of not getting caught again.
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