Phatak makes sure India’s cricket capital remembers the Don on his birth centenary

BMC to sponsor function; also felicitated will be Bhausaheb Nimbalkar who scored 443 not out for Maharashtra in 1948-49 Ranji match, just missing Bradman’s then record of 452

In this age of media frenzy over small time celebrities and reality show winners, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is upset that ‘not much is being done’ to celebrate the birth centenary of the ‘greatest cricketer ever’ Sir Donald Bradman, who was born on August 27, 1908. Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak, a great fan of the Don, has taken the lead to sponsor a function on behalf of the civic body, with other cricket lovers, on Saturday.

Also felicitated during the Bradman celebrations will be Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar, the batsman who in 1948-49 just missed surpassing the Don’s then record score of 452 not out. He had scored 443 not out for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match at Pune, which is still the fourth highest in first class cricket.

Dwarkanath Sanzgiri said that, through his trust ‘Tirkat Dha’, Nimbalkar will be given Rs 44,300 as a mark of respect for his feat. “Nimbalkar is 90 now and stays at Kolhapur but he has agreed to make it to the function. It will be truly memorable to celebrate Bradman’s birth centenary in the presence of Nimbalkar, who was deprived of a world record when the opposition did not come back to play and, instead, conceded the match,” he said.

Bradman’s stupendous Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. But for Phatak, Bradman is much more than the greatest ever sportsman — he is “an administrative and management Guru”.

“The BMC will provide the rent for the auditorium and pay for the arrangements. We will spend a small amount of Rs 50,000 for the celebrations,” Phatak told Newsline. Mayor Shubha Raul is expected to attend the function. Phatak is himself a former chess champion — he won the national inter-varsity chess championship from the IIT-Mumbai team in 1974 and the Nagpur District Open Chess Champion in 1976.

The idea of the Bradman centenary celebrations was mooted by the municipal commissioner after Sanzgiri introduced him to cricketer Vinod Kambli. “Why is nothing being done on Bradman’s 100 th birth anniversary... just because he is not in the news today? People go crazy about celebrities and film actors, but 100 years of this greatest batsman definitely needs a salute,” Sanzgiri opined recalling Phatak’s words.