Mumbai: Former India captain Ajit Wadekar has not held a cricket bat in over three decades. After undergoing angioplasty last year, Wadekar has understandably cut down on his daily activities. Nothing however stopped him from donning the cricketing whites once again when he got a call from Dilip Vengsarkar for a 10-over match between Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Dadar Union at the latter’s home turf.
The two erstwhile champion clubs Wadekar’s Gymkhana and Vengsarkar’s Dadar Union shared a legendary rivalry from 1960s to 1980s and it only grew in stature with hard-nosed Mumbai cricketers not willing to give an inch. Though an exhibition game, the chance for a memorable reunion attracted a participant all the way from the US as Urmikant Mody, now in his late ’60s, flew down to renew the bond.
The grand get together on the Christmas Day was finally complete when the third former India captain and Dadar Union’s most famous ambassador, Sunil Gavaskar made an appearance. On a day that witnessed rare sights Gavaskar surprised the motley group when he put on the umpire’s hat. “The rivalry between our clubs is akin to the ‘War of the Roses’ between Lancashire and Yorkshire,” said Wadekar.
Gavaskar recalled his early days with the club. “For a long time, I was the 12th man. I remember when Wadekar amassed 323 against Mysore in Ranji semifinal (1966-67) I was taking his pads off after each session, as he would be so tired. I consider myself fortunate that I got to interact with legends such as Chandu Borde and Wadekar. You get to learn a lot when they are around,” he added.
