Ex-India and Mumbai captain Sunil Gavaskar gets emotional at the unveiling of his statue during the inauguration of the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum
India and Mumbai batting legend Sunil Gavaskar poses in front of the statue depicting his 10,000 Test runs celebration, at Wankhede on Saturday. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
It was an emotional moment for batting legend Sunil Gavaskar when his statue was unveiled during the inauguration of the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum at the Wankhede Stadium in the presence of former MCA, BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar, MCA president Ajinkya Naik and ex-MCA chief Ashish Shelar on Saturday.
“It took me back to that particular time [during the 1987 Test vs Pakistan at Ahmedabad] when that ball was bowled [by Ijaz Faqih] and I got to the 10,000th run. So, yes, it brought back very good memories,” Gavaskar, 76, told Sunday mid-day when asked about his first reaction on seeing his statue on Saturday.
mid-day’s Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello (centre) is felicitated by former MCA chief Ashish Shelar (left) and MCA president Ajinkya Naik for being on the MCA museum’s Advisory Board on Saturday
Gavaskar’s statue shows him raising his bat on becoming the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs, a feat his achieved with a late cut against Faqih.
The former India and Mumbai captain, who represented the country in 125 Tests scoring 10,122 runs and 34 centuries, reckoned the Mumbai Cricket Association is like a mother to him: He said: “I’m actually at a loss for words because I’m overwhelmed by this unique honour. The Mumbai Cricket Association, I’ve said this in the past, is like my mother. [It] held my hand when I was beginning with cricket at the school level… playing for Mumbai schools or Bombay schools as it was called then, and thereafter for the Ranji Trophy, and so on.”
At the inauguration function, mid-day’s Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello and former MCA secretary Prof Ratnakar Shetty, who are on the MCA Museum’s Advisory Board, were felicitated for their contribution to the project. Devendra Prabhudesai is the museum’s curator.
Gavaskar has donated his Dadar Union Sporting Club cap to the MCA museum and explained how it has been lucky for him: “Dadar Union taught me so much about the fact that the game is bigger than the individual [and] that, you do not take the game for granted, [and] that you have to keep on giving back to the game. But that cap was worn on the day we beat Australia in 1981 [by 59 runs in third Test) when Kapil [Dev] came in at Melbourne and took five wickets [5-28], he was unwell the previous day. He took painkilling injections and he came on to bowl. It was a touch-and-go situation because they had to score some 60-80 runs and had lost [just] three wickets. I’m superstitious, so I wore my lucky Dadar Union cap that day, not my India cap,” he said.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
