MUMBAI, Aug 6 -- IT WAS an occasion to honour the heroes of club cricket in the city. And former Test cricketer Sunil Gavaskar made a celebration of the biggest rivalry of them all while inaugurating the Shivaji Park Gymkhana's Wall of Fame on Sunday.
'This is the biggest win for Dadar Union (DU) that one of their members has been asked to inaugurate the SPG Wall of Fame,' joked Gavaskar, who played for DU and waged many cricketing battles with SPG.
The SPG Wall of Fame has been built at the entrance of the gymkhana and has photos and statistics of their players who have gone on to serve the country. There are 20 Test players, one ODI player and one Test umpire featured on the Wall.
Gavaskar suggested that SPG players Padmakar Shivalkar and Sudhakar Adhikari too should have found a place on the wall, even though they had not represented India.
'Both were as good as any Test player. I feel they deserve the honour and SPG should include them also in the Wall of Fame.' Recalling the days when the club rivalry was at its peak, Gavaskar said that the competition did not create animosity between the players. 'There were many players from the SPG in the Indian team and they were very cordial and helpful to me when we played together.' Former India skipper and SPG player Ajit Wadekar said: 'It is a very emotional moment for me that I have been featured on this wall. The feeling is very special because this club is where my cricketing journey began.
'Unfortunately, nowadays the club rivalry is almost dead because most of the players don't play for club honour but to get into the state team.' 'Also, I find that the younger generation switch their clubs and teams often. I hope this wall will inspire them to be loyal to their clubs.'
The Hindustan Times is provided through HT Syndication, New Delhi.
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