AN ILLUSTRIOUS CRICKETER AND AN EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN BEING

Some people touch your hearts when they meet you. They make themselves dear to anyone they meet purely because of their simplicity, despite having extraordinary accomplishments. Gp Capt DD Deshpande, fondly known as Dinoo, has been one such exceptional personality.

What a man! What a cricketer! What an exceptional human being!

My memories of Dinoo Sir go back to the time well before meeting him in person. During Inter Command Air Force Cricket Championships 1973, I was told by a senior that something big was missing that year – and that was Dinoo. I could understand the depth of that casual statement much later when I came to know Dinoo Sir well.

He was well ahead of most of us as a cricketer. However, he never overwhelmed us with his towering presence. He had the rare ability to let friends make fun at his expense. Good 25 years junior to him cricketers were permitted to argue with him and put across their views. Those very people who argued with him to their hearts content, eventually turned most respectful, and became his ardent followers over the years.

To all his Air Force friends, especially his cricket colleagues he has been a legend – an extraordinary man without  any ego or airs around him.

Dinoo Sir’s passing away this morning, on the 4^th of December 2023, has left a big void among his admirers and fellow Air Force cricketers. To us veteran cricketers, well into our sixties and seventies, Dinoo Sir and Anjali ma’am have been a source of inspiration for long.

Our annual gatherings will never be the same without you Dinoo Sir! Those festival cricket mornings without your graceful presence will never be as charming as before. We will, however, go on as you would wish to see us from up there.

With fond memories and with love,

Pramod