The first thing that Ajit remembers about the city is the Gymkhana ground. “Apart from the delicious food, I have fond memories of playing at Gymkhana during my domestic season in Deodhar trophy. I was a young kid at that time, and we were against a tough opponent (North Zone team).”
The former Indian cricketer, who was in the city as the Chief Guest for the Annual Sports Day celebrations of the Hyderabad Public School on Saturday, states that he always enjoyed being part of such celebrations, and it reminds him of his childhood. “I get nostalgic; Sports Day was something I was always kicked about during childhood and it was always fun to be part of such occasions. I like to see kids competing and showing their skills in various sports, and that’s something we essentially need to inculcate in most kids across India. I guess that’s how our future is going to be structured,” he shares.
It’s been quite some time since he last visited Hyderabad. “May be a year,” he comments, adding, “I always liked the city’s positive vibes; I played lots of games here — be it domestic, international or IPL matches. I enjoyed playing in Hyderabad.”
Ask him about life post retirement, and he replies, “It’s been five years, and I am enjoying my stint as a cricket analyst and commentator; talking is much easier than playing,” he laughs, adding, “It gives me a different perspective to look at the game. Having played the game, I can understand the realistic picture.”
Ajit is glad that Sourav Ganguly has become the new BCCI Chief. “Sourav is probably the captain I played most matches under. And we all know what kind of a leader he has been throughout his career. He played a lot of cricket, so I expect good things to happen under him. He’s a person with great clarity and knows what exactly he wants — he’s quite a character,” Ajit says.
