BCCI dishes out annual awards
Mumbai: Former India captain Kapil Dev was honoured with the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the BCCI at its seventh annual awards ceremony here on Saturday.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was bestowed with the Polly Umrigar Award for being the best international cricket last season.
Ashwin in the 2012-13 season claimed 43 wickets, inclusive of four five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul, and scored 263 runs, inclusive of two 50s from eight Tests, besides grabbing 24 wickets from 18 ODIs, and three wickets from four T20 Internationals.
The Polly Umrigar Award comprises a trophy and a cheque for Rs 5 lakh and the award has been won in previous years twice by Sachin Tendulkar (2006-07 and 2009-10) and once each by Virender Sehwag (2007-08), Gautam Gambhir (2008-09), Rahul Dravid (2010-11) and Virat Kohli (2011-12).
Legendary all-rounder and 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil became the 21st Indian cricketer to receive the CK Nayudu Award.
“When we started playing, it was only for passion as we didn’t think about any awards. I would like to thank all the captains under whom I have played. Bishan Bedi, Sunil, Venkat (S Venkataragahavan), Gundappa Viswanath. I would like to thank my family who allowed me to play the game for so much time. I believe all of us including me should feel proud for making the game popular in the country,” Kapil said after accepting the award.
One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Kapil Dev was the first player to complete the double of 5,000 runs and 400 wickets in Tests.
The most poignant moment of the short award function was when Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kapil were caught in the same frame posing with the Prudential Cup and the ICC World Cup Trophy. Dhoni then handed the ICC World Cup Trophy to Kapil while the veteran handed the Prudential Cup to Dhoni.
Rohit Sharma, who is in India’s ODI as well as Test squad that is to leave for New Zealand on Sunday morning, received the Dilip Sardesai Award, for being India’s best cricketer in the recent home Test series against the West Indies.
A highlight of the function was the felicitation of three former stalwarts – RG (Bapu) Nadkarni, Farokh Engineer and the late Eknath Solkar – for their contribution to Indian cricket.
Neither Nadkarni, not Engineer were present to receive the award, while Solkar’s widow received the award. (PTI)