GAVASKAR, SUNIL

Any boundary or fixer is a big hit but then there are some hits so huge that the ball is way beyond the boundary line. I have had the privilege of seeing so many of the big hits and I am very glad to be here at this very huge hit.

Sunil was my classmate at St. Xavier’s High School in Bombay. School days memories tend to be blurry. I can neither remember my school teachers or my classes, but I do however have some memories that are very fresh in my mind; my constant cheering and supporting the rising cricket star.

Sunil was a celebrity in school. In the interclass matches he was a reason our class did so well. We were there cheering him all the way. In the interschool matches the entire school was behind him. He was the school’s hero.

His intense practice sessions kept him away from most of us. But we were always there cheering for him as he batted and led our school from one victory to another. We all, including me knew him well. He did not know me, but that was never a concern. Early on we all knew that a rising star was amidst us.

I left Bombay in 1966 and in these 36 years I have seen Sunil become a national star and then an international star in the world of cricket. I would be filled with immense pride that this kid, someone who I had gone to school with and whose path I have crossed a million times has become a superstar.

Over a million times I have told people that Sunil and I were in the same class in school. This is a wonderful bond I will always cherish.

I was delighted to hear that Sunil is coming to town, and that our paths would cross again. I was filled with immense pride on hearing that he was being inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame.

This crossing of our paths will give us a chance to reminisce and create memories to last another 36 years to come.

Congratulations Sunil!

Prasad Srinivasan, MD
Prasad Srinivasan is an allergist in the Hartford area for over 20 years. He is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society and President of the Connecticut Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.