Dubai: UAE’s star wicketkeeper batsman Swapnil Patil, who played in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, was given a rousing welcome in his village in Vasai, a distant suburb near Mumbai, on his return home after his exploits in Australia and New Zealand. People from this village came out in thousands to felicitate him at a public function, and carried him on their shoulders through the lanes of his village where he played as a young boy.
It was an emotional moment for Patil who was stunned at the response from his neighbourhood. “Frankly I did not expect anything like this to happen in my life. I felt very touched by their gesture. The manner in which they welcomed me was like I had won them the World Cup,” he told Gulf News from Mumbai where he is now on a vacation gifted by his employer Shiva Pagarani of the Yogi Group, despite being away from his job for nearly two months due to the World Cup. Patil was also taken in an open vehicle from the Chimaji Appa cricket ground to his former school, the New English High School.
The felicitation was organised by Navdurga Mitra Mandal, Chaubare on behalf of Vasai Taluka (District), with former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad as their special guest to honour him. At the function, the organisers presented him with a bat specially autographed by Sachin Tendulkar.
During the World Cup matches, Patil’s family had erected a giant screen inside their house following demand from their relatives and villagers to see him in action. As some of the UAE matches were held before dawn, they used to bring the giant screen outside the house only after dawn and set it up in the open for everyone to gather and watch.
“I missed out on playing for India; but after this incident, I don’t have any regrets. I grew up playing in the lanes of this village and representing my school. My big scores in school cricket got me offers to play for top clubs in Mumbai like United Cricketers Club, Mulund Gymkhana and finally for the strong Khar Gymkhana. I was also selected for the Mumbai Under-22 team in 2001 and was among the Mumbai Ranji trophy team probables in the 2004-05 season before I decided to come to Dubai for better job prospects.” Patil has played alongside Indian team players like Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma in Mumbai whom he was excited to meet in Perth during UAE’s match against India.
Thanks to his employer Pagarani, who is a cricketer and convener of the Dubai Cricket Council, Patil was encouraged to pursue his love for the game. Four years after being in Dubai, he made his debut for UAE in a One-day International against Scotland where he ran out of partners and was stranded on 99 in the ICC World Cup qualifiers in February last year.
Patil, who turns 30 today (April 15), wants to bring more laurels for UAE and make his villagers prouder. He had cracked an unbeaten 57 against the star studded South African bowling attack at Wellington in the World Cup. So everyone from his village wanted to shake hands with their hero who had hit bowlers like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander for boundaries, and Patil obliged all.
