Shyam Bhatia's Ode To Cricket

The Dubai millionaire's two-storeyed museum filled with memorabilia is considered to be the best-managed private cricket museum in the world

- Murali Menon

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the stellar cricketer Sunil Gavaskar's memorable debut in the West Indies. Thanks to Covid-19 and the batting legend's pressing professional commitments, the celebrations were scattered throughout the year. Dubai-based millionaire Shyam Bhatia had to wait till December to finally get his friend to come down to the Emirati city so that he could be felicitated at the eponymous private museum he has set up devoted to the game.

The Shyam Bhatia Cricket Museum, housed in Bhatia's mansion in Jumeirah, is widely believed to be among the best privately managed cricket museums in the world. Set up in 2010, and spread over two storeys, it is packed with a massive collection of cricketing memorabilia autographed bats, blazers, boots - with separate areas dedicated to the exploits of top run-getters and World Cups.