08 December,2010 09:05 AM IST | | Husain M Zaidi
Akshay Pagare could not hold back the tears moments after a dream start to his inter-school cricket career.
The 13-year-old scored a splendid 173 off 215 balls as IES Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya posted a mammoth 482/6 against Christ Church, Byculla at stumps on Day One of the U-14 Giles Shield tournament at Cross Maidan yesterday.
He was moved to tears as he recalled how his late father, Sanjay, used to back him to make it big in cricket not too long ago. The lad was at a loss of words as his emotions got the better of him. "I started playing cricket two years ago when my father introduced me to it. He wanted me to make it big in the game. But sadly, he passed away a year-and-a-half ago due to an illness. He would have been proud to watch me play today," Pagare told MiD DAY.
The opener, making his debut for Raja Shivaji, got off to solid start by scoring a ton and shared a 205-run partnership with skipper Gaurang Parsekar, who also notched up a century. Parsekar made 134 as Christ Church struggled.
Coming from a very humble background, Akshay was particularly happy with his knock, as it would help him fetch gifts from his paternal uncles who he stays with. "I think they will give me shoes and new clothes," he said.u00a0
