Shyam Bhatia’s museum has bats signed by the Big Four of cricket

Dubai: The Shyam Bhatia Cricket Museum, which stepped into it’s 10th anniversary this year, has added a prized collection of four bats from the ‘Big Four’ - Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

‘‘It gives a great deal of pleasure to source these bats autographed by four of the top batsmen in contemporary cricket. They will certainly add depth to my museum collection which has completed a journey of 10 years this year,’’ said Bhatia, a Dubai-based cricket enthusiast,

The museum has also undergone a makeover in recent months in it’s Hall of Fame where Bhatia’s team has upgraded records of all the ICC World Cups. ‘‘A look at these posters and you will find brief scores of all the 452 matches of the 12 editions so far. It’s been a lot of effort by our team over a period of one and-a-half months,’’ said Bhatia, who had been a regular host of the annual Shyam Bhatia Cricket Awards at his residence - the only definitive award in the emirate to recognise the performance of local cricketers.

They have also added the updated records of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the two new additions as full members: Afghanistan and Ireland. ‘‘I thought it would not give a complete picture of the global cricket scene without their statistics,’’ he said.

Bhatia now feels the museum needs more space so that he can leave a legacy for the future. “I was working closely with the Dubai Sports Council and Dubai Arts and Culture Authority to shift this museum to Meydan Mall in Nad Al Sheba when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed all plans,” Bhatia added.