It was April 1981 when Sunil Gavaskar arrived in Sharjah to captain an Indian team against a Pakistani XI in an exhibition match at a makeshift stadium. The Little Master had no idea that this exhibition game, which attracted thousands of South Asian expats to temporary stands, would forge a lasting bond with a Dubai-based cricket aficionado. On the day of the match, Sunny Gavaskar, arguably the greatest opening batsman in Test history and a childhood hero of Sachin Tendulkar, met Shyam Bhatia. Bhatia had left India for Dubai in 1965 to work as an insurance professional before establishing his own business in 1979. However, it was Bhatia’s deep passion for cricket and his efforts in nurturing the sport at the grassroots level in the UAE that truly resonated with Gavaskar. This friendship grew stronger over the years. As a tribute to their enduring friendship on Gavaskar’s 75th birthday, Bhatia presented the Indian legend Sunny G with a book he compiled alongside Indian sports journalist Debasish Datta. Gavaskar, who scored 34 Test centuries, confessed that he was initially hesitant about having a book published to commemorate this significant milestone in his life.