Former India coach Anil Kumble has offered his support to set up a sports university in Andhra Pradesh, as per a media statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office on Monday. The former cricketer called on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at his camp office in Tadepalli near Vijayawada on Monday and held discussions on a number of issues, including the development of sports in the state. Kumble, who holds the record of claiming all 10 wickets in an innings, offered to extend his support if a sports university is set up in the state. The sports university could be set up under the public- private partnership mode, Kumble told Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The star leg-spinner also urged the state government to focus its sights on establishing sports materials manufacturing units in Andhra Pradesh. Kumble told Jagan that these facilities would be the first in south India. He further pointed out that sports goods manufacturing hubs are currently present only in Meerut and Jalandhar. Kumble said the state and the sports sector would benefit if similar facilities are encouraged here. He also reiterated his offer to support such initiatives in Andhra Pradesh. "This would be of immense help for the development of sports in the region," Kumble said.

A top official source told PTI that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy responded positively to Kumble’s proposals. "The government will soon identify required land for the sports university and the sports goods Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the state. Other logistics will also be worked out," the source said.

Earlier in 2017, the Pullela Gopichand Academy was allotted 12 acres of land in Andhra Pradesh's Amaravati, following then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's promise after the 2016 Olympics, that land would be allotted to the badminton academy. To Gopichand's student and Olympics badminton silver medallist, PV Sindhu, Naidu had announced a cash reward of Rs 3 crore, a residential plot in Amaravati and Group-I officer's job.

With IANS and PTI inputs