Shyam Bhatia backs Mumbai Cricket Association’s museum plan that has legendary batsman Dilip Vengsarkar's support

 By K.R. Nayar

Plans are on to create Mumbai Cricket Association’s museum at the Wankhede Cricket Stadium premises. Shyam Bhatia, who has made one of the finest cricket museums in the world in Dubai, will back the Mumbai Cricket Association museum committee that has the legendary batsman Dilip Vengsarkar as one of its members    

Shyam Bhatia with Nadeem Memon at the Shyam Bhatia cricket museum 

Cricket enthusiast and businessman Shyam Bhatia, who has created one of the finest cricket museums, which traces the game’s history and has some rare memorabilia, in Dubai, has joined former Indian captain and legendary batsman Dilip Vengsarkar in providing support to the creation of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s museum at the Wankhede Stadium.

Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com from Mumbai, Vengsarkar, who is a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association museum committee, said: “I'm extremely happy that Mumbai Cricket Association is working on a plan to have its own museum in its premises at the Wankhede stadium. Mumbai has a great history and tradition, winning the most prestigious Ranji trophy for the record number of times, 41 to be precise, thereby creating great history in Indian domestic cricket, and that needs to be showcased.”

Legendary Indian batsmnan Dilip Vengsarkar 

When Mumbai Cricket Association created a committee and launched its plan, they also decided to learn from other cricket museums on how to make it special.  Nadeem Memon, a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association Apex Council visited the Shyam Bhatia museum since the committee decided that they should take help from people who really know how to build a cricket museum. Memon feels that Bhatia’s museum is one of the best cricket museums in the world with some of the best collections of cricket memorabilia.

Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com after Memon’s visit, Bhatia said: “I have offered my help to Mumbai Cricket Association with whatever expertise needed in creating a cricket museum. I am one who strongly believes that India should have a top-class cricket museum and Mumbai with its rich history deserves one. I have built up my museum, which is now over a decade old, so I know what it takes to create a special museum.”

Vengsarkar, who has created many glorious moments for Mumbai through his exploits with the bat, then went on to add: “The Mumbai team has always been represented by some of the legends of the game...right from Vijay Merchant to Sachin Tendulkar, and the cricket-loving people of India would be only too happy to visit the museum and enjoy the memorabilia of the great past and present players. This is a very ambitious project of the Mumbai Cricket Association and I hope it becomes a reality very soon.”

The Mumbai Cricket museum committee under the chairmanship of Vijay Patil, also has Ravi Sawant a former Mumbai Cricket Association president.  Bhatia said: “I have spoken to Sawant and offered all help. They would like to meet me and finalise details of how I could help them. I have always promoted cricket and hence will provide all assistance.”

Sunil Gavaskar with his autographed bat at  the Shyam Bhatia museum 

Former Indian and Mumbai captain Sunil Gavaskar, whose friendship with Bhatia goes back to four decades, had inspired Bhatia to set up his museum. “Gavaskar gauged my passion for cricket and presented me with his bat, which boosted my enthusiasm to collect cricket memorabilia. Despite his busy schedule, he has always spent a lot of time giving me ideas for the museum,” noted Bhatia.
Team India coach and another Mumbai legend Ravi Shastri had once called Bhatia’s museum as a 'temple of cricket'. 

Viv Richards presents his blazer to the Shyam Bhatia museum 

West Indies legend Viv Richards, after presenting his blazer to the Bhatia museum in 2017, had remarked: “When I came to the Bhatia museum during my last visit to the UAE, I was so impressed with what I saw there... I left with almost tears in my eyes. I could see so many individuals there, not just present time cricketers or those with whom I've played, but individuals I've admired over the years. Going to my locker room [at home] I dug deep to come up with something that I felt would be befitting, Thus I am presenting my West Indian blazer to the museum."