The award presentation was made by the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Roger Binny and the secretary of BCCI Jay Shah.
During Shastri’s international cricket career spanning from 1981 to 1992, he emerged as a highly valuable all-rounder, showcasing versatility by playing various roles for his team and excelling in challenging situations.Shastri was often seen opening or batting in the middle order, displaying proficiency in both roles, and he could contribute with crucial overs of left-arm spin.
Shastri boasted a commendable Test record, featuring in 80 Test matches where he accumulated 3,830 runs at an average of 35.79. He notched up 11 centuries and 12 fifties in his 121 innings, achieving a highest individual score of 206. As an all-rounder, Shastri also proved his bowling prowess by taking 151 wickets, with a best bowling performance of 5/75.
Shastri is part of the team which won the 50-over World Cup in 1983. In the tournament, he scored 40 runs in five innings, with the best score of 17 and took a total of four wickets, with the best bowling spell of 3/26.
Another career-defining moment came for Shastri in 1985 when he played a big role in his team’s win at the World Championship of Cricket, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.
Shastri won the ‘Man of the Tournament’ award for scoring 182 runs in five matches at an average of 45.50, with three fifties. He also took eight wickets, finishing as the joint-third-highest wicket-taker.
After the conclusion of his international cricket career in 1992, he was heard as a commentator. His authoritative voice, enthusiasm and knowledge of the game make him one of the country’s most beloved commentators. His calls during India’s winning moments in T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 still live in the minds of millions.
On the other hand, Farokh was well known for his craftmanship with the bat and agility behind the stumps. His skillset made him best suited for keeping to the legendary spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan.
Farokh during his career played 46 Test matches for India and amassed 2611 runs which included two centuries and 16 half-centuries.
His most memorable moment as a batsman was against West Indies at Madras in 1966-67. He scored 94 before lunch on the first day against the iconic pacers Wes Hall, Charles Griffith, Gary Sobers and spinner Richard Gibbs.
The list of award winners includes Lala Amarnath, Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and many more.
(With inputs from ANI)
