He was a close friend: Jwala

After the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju defeated the world number 24 pairing of Robert Blair and Gabrielle White to reach the semifinals of the China Masters,Jwala did not perform her customary punching the air or any other celebratory antics. She looked up,and then with eyes closed said a silent prayer for Ayazuddin.

Jwala,who has been close to the family of the deceased,dedicated her win to Ayazuddin. He was a very close friend. I celebrated my birthday on September 7 with him and we had a lot of fun. I cant believe that he is gone, she said.

Incidentally,Jwala was part of the surprise party which gifted the motorbike involved in the accident to Ayazuddin on Eid. He loved motorbikes and he was very insistent on getting a motorbike and not a car. We woke him up at 8 in the morning that day and surprised him with it. He was ecstatic, said Jwala. It is sad that things turned out like this.