Bhubaneswar, Jan. 9: When cricketing legends of different eras met in the state capital, there were fans, felicitations and, most importantly, nostalgia. Former Indian captains Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Rahul Dravid along with cricket coach Vasu Paranjape were here for the golden jubilee of a city-based cricket club.

The veteran cricketers first interacted with young cricket aspirants on Wednesday afternoon and encouraged them by sharing experiences. The get-together of the cricket fraternity at KIIT convention centre in the evening started with Dravid’s deliberation.

“I would advice the younger aspirants to ensure they are passionate about the game and the rest will take care of itself,” he said.

2011 Indian World Cup team manager Ranjib Biswal, who was also present, and Dravid shared some anecdotes of the past.

“Rahul had scored a brilliant knock against Odisha, I remember. Once during a tour, when he was accompanied with his family, his son Sambit was a baby and would not sleep during the night. Rahul came to me and said he wanted to be fresh for the next day’s game. So, he took rest in my room,” said Biswal.

Vengsarkar shared memories of his 1979 innings against Pakistan, while Wadekar took the audience back to a touching episode from the days of his debut in 1971.

“I was practising in the nets the day before my debut match, when Sir Gary Sobers was around and I met him for the first time. He was happy to know I would be playing against his team but wondered if I would be wearing the same shoes. I said I would. But, he did not seem to like them and later, during the evening he came to my house with a pair of shoes and convinced my mother that I wear them the following day. It was a gesture I will always cherish,” said the veteran.