The Chinmaya Mission in Chennai is planning to use cricket commentary for a highly unusual purpose - to promote the ancient language of Sanskrit. "Speak Sanskrit Through Cricket" is an elocution contest for students, in which they get to commentate on cricket clips in Sanskrit.

Sanskrit words for common cricket terms Ball - Kandukam, Bat - Pattika, Pads - Padapalika, Onside - vamabhagah, Offside - avamabhagah, Cover - prasarah, Deep extra-cover - gadha - atitaprasarah, Out - Gatam, Run out - dhavanagatam, Outswing - utpatah, Good length - su ayatih, Howzzat - kathamastitat

"In India, the way cricket has seeped into living room and dining table conversations shows how significant the game has become in the country's collective mindset," states the press release promoting the event. "Taking this excitement a notch higher, Speak Sanskrit Through Cricket will garnish these conversations with a liberal dose of Sanskrit terms."

The Mission has roped in Kris Srikkanth to inaugurate the event, which promises the winner a trip to Melbourne to watch next year's World Cup final. What's the Sanskrit term for tracer bullet?