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When Virat & Team Gave Me a Birthday to Cherish: Sandeep Patil

“Sunil Gavaskar has formed a group on WhatsApp and we wish each other on big occasions,” writes Sandeep Patil.

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I consider myself very lucky to share this piece when I’m about to celebrate my 63rd birthday with my family and friends at my farmhouse in Lavasa. Though each of my birthday parties have been special, the most special one was a birthday I celebrated with Virat Kohli and the Indian team in Trinidad in 2016.

I was on national duty and was missing my family badly but Indian captain Virat Kohli had special plans for my birthday. At the team hotel, as I was getting ready to go the stadium to watch the Indian team annihilate the West Indians at their own den in the second Test, I heard the sound of someone knocking at my hotel room. I thought it was someone from the housekeeping staff wanting to collect clothes for laundry but the moment I opened the door, I saw captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble and also the rest of the Indian team members, including support staff, waiting eagerly to wish me.

Cheeky Virat reminded me that I had just joined the club of senior citizens but coach Anil Kumble was nice enough to remind me that age was just a number.

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After wishing me, all team members went down for breakfast and waited for me to join them at the breakfast table. When the players asked for my preference for a birthday gift, I told them to finish off the West Indians at the earliest so that we could all celebrate with a party on a cruise.

Virat and his players obliged and the Test got wrapped up on the fourth day itself.

At the stadium we celebrated the series victory with champagne and I left with the team for a cruise where special arrangements were made for the celebrations. The skipper led the celebrations there as well and gifted me a red colour t-shirt. Coach Anil Kumble brought a sweet cream cake and we all had a piece of it including Virat, who I have always seen avoid anything sweet as he is very fitness conscious.

The party to celebrate my birthday lasted for more than three hours and I shared stories of my life’s journey and cricket tours with the team members.

After finishing off the party at the cruise, we all went back to team hotel where I again requested all the team members to be present for dinner as well. Most of them obliged and with the help of the hotel’s kitchen staff I prepared grilled chicken in herbs, meat lamb shank, nalli mutton and bacon sausage egg roll for the team members. They all enjoyed the food and gave me the tag of “Master Chef”.

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Another birthday memory which is still fresh in my mind is from the year 1996.

I was turning 40 then and was the coach of the India A team for the tour of Kenya. Ajay Jadeja was the captain of the team and Sourav Ganguly, Vinod Kambli, Salil Ankola, Rajesh Chouhan, Venkatpathy Raju, Sameer Dighe and Prashant Vaidya were some of the other members of the squad.

After winning the series in Nairobi, my friends Ramesh Bhalla and the late Viji Behal took the entire team to world famous place “The ArK” to celebrate my birthday. A big cake was ordered but it all ended up on my face and body after I cut it and Jadeja and Kambli were the main culprits.

I can very proudly say that legendary Sunil Gavaskar is the one player who never forgets to wish me on my birthday. Balvinder Sandhu, Yashpal Sharma are the others who never forget my special day as all three of us are Leos. Sunil Gavaskar has formed the group “Forever Champs” and we wish everyone on such occasions.

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