Ramakant Desai remembered

MUMBAI, May 6: Glowing tributes were paid to former Test speedster Ramakant Desai, who passed away last month in a condolence meeting staged by the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA at the Wankhede Stadium this evening.

Among those who relived the halycon days of Desai in an emotionally charged atmoshpere were ex-Test stars Madhav Mantri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Ajit Wadekar, former Mumbai captain Milind Rege and the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur.

Ironically, the present generation8217;s ignorance of one of the nation8217;s sporting heroes8217; was amply reflected in the presence of just two current Mumbai cricketers in the gathering that comprised mostly of cricketers past their prime and MCA officials.

Besides an appeal to help Desai8217;s family, a plea was also made to chronicle the heroics of cricketers such as Desai on film for the benefit of the present generation.