There will be different emotions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium on Wednesday (February 14). There will be celebrations in some quarters, for the venue in the outskirts of Rajkot being named after Niranjan Shah, the veteran cricket administrator. There will anticipation of a gripping India-England third Test starting a day later (Thursday).
Nidhi Barot will feel very different. She and her daughter Radhya, who is still to turn two, have been invited to the occasion for a special reason. Nidhi is the widow of Avi Barot — wicketkeeper of Saurashtra’s first-ever Ranji Trophy winning team in 2020. About 18 months after that triumph, Avi succumbed to a cardiac arrest, while watching the IPL final at home in October 2021. He was 29.
The stadium doesn’t have anything named after the late player, who had also captained the India U-19 team. There is no stand or plaque or bust bearing his memory. But Nidhi is happy to note that somewhere near the pavilion, there are photographs of that Saurashtra team. Avi is there with his teammates. There are also individual shots of the player, who died before his daughter was born.
“I have learnt how a sportsman’s wife must cope with things. Avi was full of life and a boisterous person. He went through a lot on and off the field. But his teammates used to call him ‘Mr Positive’. He taught me that come what may, one must never give up. That’s what I’m going to tell our daughter. Even if I get half of Avi’s positivity, it will be a lot,” Nidhi told RevSportz from Ahmedabad.
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Even though the Saurashtra team is based out of Rajkot, Avi was born and brought up in Ahmedabad. That’s where he lived. It was no smooth sailing, initially. He made his Ranji debut for Gujarat and switched to Haryana after being unable to secure a place in the Gujarat team. Some striking performances later, he joined Saurashtra and became a regular in all three formats.
“Despite the ups and downs, he never lost hope. The void will remain, but I will still tell my daughter that your dad is watching you. We will follow Avi’s thought process. His favourite tagline was ‘Trust the Universe’. He believed in divinity. I gradually became influenced by that philosophy. Not everything can be seen even it is there. For us, Avi is that force.”
Nidhi, who has got Avi’s job at the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office in Ahmedabad, thanks the SCA and her late husband’s teammates. She received a one-time compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the SCA. More importantly for her, it’s the constant support of the association and the players. That’s been one of her strengths through the tough times.
“What I’ve lost can’t be compensated. But I’m overwhelmed by the support and love I got from so many persons. Himanshu Shah, the SCA secretary, often asks if I need anything. Avi’s teammates Samarth (Vyas), Krushang (Patel), Chetan (Sakariya), Harvik (Desai) and their wives speak to me. They don’t let me feel alone. It means a lot. Jaydev Unadkat invited me to the stadium in Ahmedabad for last year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy final. That was the first time I went to cricket after Avi left us.”
Renaming of the stadium in Rajkot will see Nidhi at a cricket venue for the second time since that tragedy. But she doesn’t feel alone. She will be surrounded by people she calls family and the positivity spread by her late husband, who continues to be a source of ‘positive energy’ among his teammates.
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