Mumbai resident Walter D'Souza, one of the two surviving members of Gujarat's 1950-51 Ranji Trophy squad, raises a toast to the captain for helping the state clinch their maiden national championship silverware
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Walter D’Souza was on cloud nine at his Khar residence on Saturday after Gujarat won their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Eighty nine-year-old Walter D'Souza's disappointment of March 21, 1951 was well and truly obliterated on Saturday with Gujarat's Ranji Trophy-winning show at Indore.
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Sixty-six years ago, D'Souza witnessed defeat at the hands of CK Nayudu's Holkar team in the same city, where Parthiv Patel & Co claimed their maiden Ranji title on Saturday.
Parthiv Patel
"I never thought I'd live to see this day," D'Souza told mid-day. His voice was filled with emotion, but the thrill couldn't be concealed for long. "I am thankful to the almighty to live to see this day. I always felt that Parthiv is a gritty man, a brave man and he could achieve this win for Gujarat. He has done us proud," said D'Souza, who scored 50 and 77 in the 1950-51 final at the Yeshwant Club ground in Indore.
D'Souza and Ahmedabad-based Jyotindra Shodhan are the only surviving members of that Gujarat team which lost by 189 runs back then.
D'Souza admitted he was not very confident of Gujarat pulling it off at the start of the final day's play on Saturday. "Let's say it was 50-50. Teams can get carried away and lose wickets, so I was worried about that. But Parthiv was just brilliant. He held the innings together and deserves the highest praise for leading by example," said D'Souza, who knows what it takes to beat a team like Mumbai because even then, the city was the team to beat. "I am proud that I played a big role in our victory over Bombay in the very same season of our Ranji triumph. I scored 91 against a good Bombay attack and I also got two wickets (JB Khot and Subhash Gupte)," he said at his Khar residence.
D'Souza turns 90 on Friday. His early birthday present has come in the form of a high point for the team he stretched every sinew for as a middle-order batsman and off-break bowler.
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