S Poddar
Ravi Shastri has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
The award was made in a special ceremony at Glamorgan’s Sophia Gardens ground as recognition for the former India all-rounder’s outstanding achievements in the game as player, coach, and commentator over a career spanning in excess of 40 years.
“It is a great honour,” said Shastri. “When I played here long ago, I never thought something like that would happen. I enjoyed my time playing for Glamorgan in Cardiff, and it’s a pleasure to be back.”
Shastri, 62, represented India between 1981 and 1992 and was a member of the team that won the 1983 World Cup. He is among the few players in Test cricket to have scored 3,000 runs, taken 150 wickets, and made 10 centuries. He became the first Indian batter, during the 1985-86 Ranji Trophy season, to hit six sixes in an over for Mumbai against Baroda.
He joined Glamorgan in 1987 and spent four seasons in Wales. He played a leading role in their run to the Benson & Hedges Cup semifinals in 1988. Since his retirement from international cricket, he has gone on to become a very successful commentator, and he was also a Unicef ambassador for ten years, leading the ‘Pulse-Polio’ campaign until polio was eradicated in India.
In 2017, Shastri took over as coach of India, guiding the team to a historic Test series victory in Australia and taking it to number one in the world.
He celebrated that, though, with his wife, Ritu, daughter Alekha, and many of his old Glamorgan teammates, including his former captain Hugh Morris. There, too, was former Glamorgan captain Tony Lewis, instrumental in first taking Shastri to the Welsh county, as well as their current president, Alan Wilkins, who has commentated alongside him.
“Ravi and I have been great friends for many years, and I was pleased to help bring him and Cardiff Metropolitan University together,” said Wilkins. “I believe this relationship will benefit the future of our sport. It’s a privilege to celebrate this well-deserved honour with him and his family.”
