Chennai: Former India captain Ajit Wadekar, who was honoured with the Colonel C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards ceremony, dedicated the award to the 1971 team, which had recorded the first Test series victories overseas, in the West Indies and England, respectively.

“I am overwhelmed with this honour… I think it is because of the love of my family and my team members for which I am standing here. I dedicate this award to the 1971 team — the team that made me,” Wadekar said on Saturday.

The former captain received the award from BCCI president N. Srinivasan on the 40th anniversary of 1971 tours of West Indies and England. He also recollected interesting anecdotes from his life.

“It’s a long journey which I have made. When I first started playing cricket, I was the 12th man in my college team. I used to carry drinks for the players. Then I got into the team and people started to take notice of my talent,” said Wadekar.

“I kept on playing well in college cricket… Then I got a chance of playing in the Indian team. It was a dream come true for me,” he added.

Speaking on his captaincy stint, Wadekar said: “I then became the captain of the team… And today, when I am conferred with this award, I really don’t know if I am worthy of this award, which is BCCI’s highest award.”

Wadekar also praised the current generation of Indian players. “This is one of the best teams for India. (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni has achieved everything as a captain… His records can be the cause of envy of other captains. He also leads a brilliant batch of cricketers, who themselves hold many records to their credit.

“So there is no doubt that Indian cricket’s future is very bright… I am saying this because of the fact that the players who will next play for India will get the guidance of these players,” Wadekar added.

The award ceremony also saw a razzmatazz of the Who’s Who of Indian cricket. Former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble graced the occasion in the presence of other eminent cricketers, of past and present. Mohinder Amarnath and Krisnamachari Srikkanth were also present at the event. The cricketers of both the Indian and West Indian teams, who play against each other on Sunday, also joined in the festivity. However, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir arrived late since their flight was delayed.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid was conferred with the Polly Umrigar Award. “I think this award is a recognition of the hard work which I put in. I think it has all paid off this year,” Dravid said in a video message as he has already left for Australia. Dravid scored 1,285 runs from 15 Tests during the period October 2010 to September 2011.

“It is an honour to be recognised by your own Board for being the best player of the year. But it has been a mixed season for me. I was disappointed that we could not win against England. But we have had good results in the South Africa series and the West Indies series,” he added. Dravid’s parents received the award in his absence.