\u201cIt means a lot to me. I feel so honoured to be present here. I would come to the Wankhade Stadium to watch him play, though I did not watch his six sixes that day (in 1985). And I never dreamt that one day I would stand before the stand that has been named after him,\u201d Lakshmi told Sportstar<\/i> moments after the ceremony, with her daughter-in-law Ritu and granddaughter Alekha patiently waiting for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is with God\u2019s grace, and I do believe Ravi\u2019s devotion, dedication, most importantly, his self-belief that he will achieve what he dreamt of. So may he go from strength to strength, extremely proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her words carried the weight of decades. An ardent cricket follower since the 1960s, Lakshmi has been pivotal in pushing Ravi to the limits since his formative years. Yet, Thursday\u2019s honour had a special emotional pull, particularly because Dr Jayadritha Shastri, Ravi\u2019s father and one of his earliest supporters, was not present, having passed away in 2007.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly regret is his father is not present who encouraged him. But I am sure our blessings are with him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lakshmi also recalled one of her fondest memories at the Wankhede, an incident her son elaborated on during his speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he mentioned already, that when we came here to watch (the Test against England in 1984), Mr. (S.K.) Wankhade was present at that time. And he welcomed us, and he took us right up to his gallery to watch, which we thought was a great gesture on his part. We will never forget that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ravi Shastri, during his address, expanded on that cherished moment from 1984, when he was batting in a Test against England at the Wankhede.<\/p>\n