On a drier August Saturday, at any stage of his local cricket reporting career, Vinod Vasudeo would have been looking forward to the Kanga League matches on the morrow
On a drier August Saturday, at any stage of his local cricket reporting career, Vinod Vasudeo would have been looking forward to the Kanga League matches on the morrow.
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Vinod Vasudeo
But times had changed. The maidans and tents no longer beckoned and good health had replaced cricket on his yearning list.
It rained enough for this Sunday's matches to be called off officially, a few hours before Vasudeo breathed his last at the age of 75.
Vasudeo or 'Vasu Kaka' as he was known on the Mumbai cricket circuit, spent a lifetime watching local matches, collecting scores, rushing to newspaper offices to put together the day's round-up.
Every club and inter-office level cricketer knew him and was indebted to him for getting them a clipping or 'cutting' as cricketers like to call it.
He was a guide to upcoming journalists and in many ways, an encyclopedia of club cricket in Mumbai. His knowledge was hard-earned; his little data base in the form of an old diary was creamy with information.
At matches, he was welcomed at tents and sheds, gymkhanas and lesser comfortable viewing areas populated by players and officials. He was stern, yet understanding and always neat and tidy in appearance.
Sunil Gavaskar, who played a great degree of club and inter-office cricket, paid Vasudeo an apt tribute when he said yesterday, "He was that rare old pro who went outdoors, rain or shine to do his stories. Not for him the modern way of email and cell phone journalism done from air conditioned rooms. The cricket community and the maidans which were his beat will miss him. God rest his soul."
He was remembered fondly yesterday by former India stars Ravi Shastri and Sachin Tendulkar while Sandeep Patil said he has lost a great friend.
Apart from his local cricket reporting forays, Vasudeo helped in the organisation of the Sportstar Trophy for junior cricketers. He was also a volunteer at the Wankhede Stadium press box during domestic and international matches. Vinod Vasudeo was quite an all-rounder.
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