Rohan with Mom Marshneil.

MUMBAI, May 11: Rohan Gavaskar announced his arrival on the international arena today with a champagne knock at Hong Kong's picturesque Kowloon Cricket Club.

His 51 not out in 30 balls for the World XI against Australia ensured that he will not just be known as Sunil Gavaskar's son. The well-bred, 21-year-old had earned his first major identity.

``It was a delightful gift on Mother's Day,'' Rohan's mom Marshneil told in a tete-e-tete with Express Newsline. ``The timing was perfect,'' she added. The Gavaskar pedigree, you see!

Marshneil recalled the time when as a shy, eight-year-old kid Rohan was asked to play a celebrity cricket match involving cricketers and film stars at Surat. ``Rohan was reluctant, but agreed when he learnt that there was a Maruti car as prize. He wanted to win it for me. Rohan did not get the car but instead won a silver cup. The car may have come and gone by now, but that beautiful cup is still treasure for me,'' the proud mother recalled nostalgically.

Rohan did not have anyone better than Sunil for cerebral cricket erudition. But the cricketing commitments of his dad first as a player and then as a mediaperson allowed little time for the two together. Indeed, Sunil did not see Rohan till he was three months old the Board of Control for Cricket in India refused permission to visit India and see his newborn between the twin tours of New Zealand and the West Indies in 1976.

``I have watched Rohan bat just once in a benefit tie we played together. But after that I haven't even seen him in club games. I have only read about him...Yes, I was nervous watching him today,'' said Sunil.

Sunil's observations on Prime Sports about Rohan was heard carefully by the discerning, as the Gavaskars have been understandably low-key about their son to save him from undue media exposure and expectations. They even enrolled him in a school which had no cricketing background. In fact, Rohan's early mark for Bombay Scottish school was in football.

``It's only about three years ago that he began to think seriously about cricket. Rohan has done everything on his own and by talking to other cricketers. We have talked a little about cricket, but it's seldom about technique and mostly about temperament,'' revealed Sunil about his minimal personal inputs into his son's cricketing education.

Rohan's parents have been supportive, without being pushy. As Sunil explained: ``The father is always there for the son. But if the father can let his son grow on his own, he can derive as much pleasure as his son. The push has to be at the right time. It cannot be a shove into the limelight.'' Sunil revealed that he was disappointed to see Rohan opting to play for Bengal. ``It was a disappointment because I had played all my cricket for Mumbai. But Rohan is an adult... However, having opted for Bengal, I wanted him to be loyal to them. They had showered him with lots of love while he played club cricket there.''

And what a first-class debut he had this season! In 15 innings, the stylish southpaw scored 645 runs at 49.62 with four half-centuries and a century. A word of caution comes from Sachin Tendulkar as expectations.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.