It’s by no means straightforward to deal with the lack of a cherished one, particularly someone you could have identified all of your life. When Milind Rege breathed his final, I used to be in Dubai for the opening recreation of the Champions Trophy. I met him simply earlier than I left for Dubai and informed him I’d see him once more in a couple of days. That wasn’t to be, as he left us the day earlier than India’s opening recreation.
He was virtually 5 months older than me. Each of us grew up in the identical environment. We lived in a cluster of 4 buildings, every with six residences. He lived in constructing quantity two, and I lived in constructing 4. In between these 4 buildings was the compound the place we performed tennis-ball cricket. The Sunday afternoon tennis-ball matches between the boys from the buildings was watched by nearly everyone who lived within the flats. They’d all come to their balconies to observe us play, squabble over umpiring choices, and usually have a very good time.
We had been the one two boys amongst all of the 4 buildings who had been admitted to a convent faculty by our mother and father. So we went to high school and got here again collectively. The identical was true throughout school too.
He was the captain of the varsity’s cricket staff, and each of us had been picked for Bombay (now Mumbai) Colleges, West Zone Colleges, and the All India Colleges Crew, which performed ‘Exams’ in opposition to the London Faculty Boys staff. My mother and father wished me to deal with my research too, so I missed out on enjoying the final ‘Check’ of that collection. Cricket was not a profession possibility then, nevertheless it undoubtedly opened the doorways for a company job as a result of inter-corporate cricket was big in Mumbai on the time. We even performed on the school stage, Mumbai College and West Zone College. After the second yr of faculty, he was provided a job by Tatas, with whom he stayed loyal all through his life. Being an all-rounder who was performing very, very persistently, he was picked for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy staff two and a half years earlier than I used to be picked. Each time Mumbai’s high order struggled with the bat, it was invariably Milind, together with Ajit Naik, Karsan Ghavri, or Rakesh Tandon, who rescued the staff and acquired them to a aggressive complete.
When he was barely 25 years outdated, he suffered a coronary heart assault, which meant any aspirations he had of enjoying for India had been floor to mud. Like he did when enjoying for Mumbai, he wouldn’t simply quit. He made a swift restoration, which noticed him return to play for Mumbai and captain the staff. In fact, at that stage, he knew that with the data of his earlier well being episode, he was unlikely to be thought-about for larger honours. However he nonetheless stored on giving his best for Mumbai.
Even after his retirement from the sport, he was actively concerned with Tata Sports activities Membership and Mumbai cricket. I used to name him repeatedly from abroad to seek out out Mumbai’s progress within the Ranji Trophy, and proper from the time he answered the telephone, I’d know whether or not Mumbai had completed effectively or was struggling.
I bear in mind dedicating my century at Adelaide in 1985 to him as a result of he had simply had a profitable bypass surgical procedure. He had one other bypass surgical procedure a decade or so later, however his coronary heart had weakened significantly, although he by no means ever confirmed it or made any fuss about it. He fulfilled many roles for Tatas and Mumbai, being a selector, supervisor, and, in latest occasions, additionally an advisor to the Mumbai Cricket Affiliation.
Proper until the tip, he was obsessive about Mumbai cricket, and even within the hospital, he was glued to Mumbai’s progress. The disappointing loss within the semis will surely have demoralised and dejected him, and that’s the unhappy factor — that he went understanding that Mumbai was not going to be within the closing. They are saying that buddies are your biggest wealth, and in his leaving, I’ve turn out to be enormously poorer. I’m certain from up there, he can be checking up on what’s occurring within the Tatas in addition to Mumbai cricket circles and wanting them to do effectively.
It was very good to know of the respect proven by the Mumbai staff, observing two minutes’ silence as soon as the information of his passing away got here via.
Whereas this has been unhappy information, the excellent news is India beating Pakistan and guaranteeing a spot for themselves within the semi-final. It has been an excellent all-round present, which provides us hope that they’ll be capable to go all the way in which and produce the Champions Trophy again residence.