A rare meeting. Suresh threw a party for his MBA mates and invited a couple of cricketers - Ehtesham and me and Rajesh Yadav. Now what we did not know was that Gavin Soorma, who was Suresh's classmate at the Osmania University College of Commerce and Business Management back in 1988, was also in town. It was a nice reunion of fast bowlers - Rajesh, Gavin and me. Of course Suresh and Ehtu were premier batsman of that time.
Rajesh and I played much junior cricket together - from the Under 19 to 22, 25, Buchi Babu, Ranji. Gavin was slightly junior to us and probably came in as I was fading away. Rajesh went on to play over 70 Ranji games. I played 7 and Gavin said he played 1.
I remember Rajesh plucking out Randolf Carroll's middle stump with a pacy inswinger and it went flying towards the wicket keeper and one furious bouncer he bowled to Namdev Phadte of Goa, an accomplished batsman who could not handle the heat. He was easily the best of the lot. Gavin had a slithering run up and generated tremendous pace and nip off the wicket. The season he got picked he got many wickets. Though he did not bowl bouncers, he was a handful, with a pacy outswinger. His long sleeves flapping about his wrists, Gav was a smiling assassin and I remember his six wicket haul against Kerala in an Under 22 game at Bangalore.
We met Gavin after 30 years. He looked exactly the same. After cricket, he went into flying and was a commercial pilot with Kingfisher airlines. He was involved in one belly landing and after that he stopped flying and went into IT. He is now in Australia and is pals with Arjun Raja, who played Under 15 with us at the zone level and Universities at the zone level too. Rajesh dabbles as a match referee with the BCCI and as a bowling coach.
Looks like we cricketers are all stuck forever.
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| Rajesh, Gavin and me (The garland was some quirky welcome by Suresh and I decided to sport it all evening) |
I remember Rajesh plucking out Randolf Carroll's middle stump with a pacy inswinger and it went flying towards the wicket keeper and one furious bouncer he bowled to Namdev Phadte of Goa, an accomplished batsman who could not handle the heat. He was easily the best of the lot. Gavin had a slithering run up and generated tremendous pace and nip off the wicket. The season he got picked he got many wickets. Though he did not bowl bouncers, he was a handful, with a pacy outswinger. His long sleeves flapping about his wrists, Gav was a smiling assassin and I remember his six wicket haul against Kerala in an Under 22 game at Bangalore.
We met Gavin after 30 years. He looked exactly the same. After cricket, he went into flying and was a commercial pilot with Kingfisher airlines. He was involved in one belly landing and after that he stopped flying and went into IT. He is now in Australia and is pals with Arjun Raja, who played Under 15 with us at the zone level and Universities at the zone level too. Rajesh dabbles as a match referee with the BCCI and as a bowling coach.
Looks like we cricketers are all stuck forever.
1 comment:
Brings back fond memories of Hyderabad cricket from 1980s and I did not know Gavin Soorma personally but saw him in action many times especially in Idgah Maidan near Sarojini Devi Eye hospital in mid 80s
Good old days there were…
Thanks for sharing your get together.
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