The 1988 Giles Shield final which we lost to St Mary's was the only title game we ended up losing in my school cricket career.
Once we reached a final, there was no way we could lose. But at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana, we lost to a side which was spirited and maximised their potential. Manish Shah did well to post a big hundred and I remember Venkat Kunnath batting well too. I actually thought he got a hundred, but I now discover he felt short.
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He was a talented left-hander who should have made a name for himself.u00a0The parents and supporters of the St Mary’s team were over the moon when Sachin was dismissed by left-arm spinner Khurram Darbar for 14.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when a cake was cut to ‘commemorate’ the ‘occasion’. Khurram bowled well as did off-spinner Mohan Mahimtura.
I also remember a headline in one of the newspapers the following morning: ‘St Mary’s in driver’s seat as Tendulkar fails’. I thought to myself, ‘bloody hell, this guy makes the headlines even if he doesn’t get runs.’
* Amol Muzumdar went on to lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy u00a0