In Parsee Gymkhana’s 140th year, Rishi Sunak knocks and dazzles

Mumbai: Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak visited the landmark Parsee Gymkhana at Marine Drive on Sunday morning to play tennis ball cricket with local players, meet gymkhana members and interact with youth from a boy scouts group. The gymkhana, which was the first such community-based sports club to come up on the city's coast in the late 19th century, celebrates its 140th year this month.
"Great to be here at the Parsee Gymkhana club (to mark its) 140th year anniversary celebrations. What extraordinary achievement. So much history here and so much exciting stuff to come. I managed not to get out too many times this morning. Thanks for having me and I look forward to coming back," said Sunak.
Khodadad Yazdegardi, gymkhana vice-president and its cricket secretary, said, "When we heard that Sunak was going to the Oval Maidan, a common friend arranged his visit to the gymkhana. We gave him a brief history of the gymkhana and how the land was acquired from the British government. We told him about the first Indian cricket team, all Parsis, that went to play in England in 1886."
The former British prime minister spent about 45 minutes at the gymkhana and also met boys from the 16th East Zoroastrian Bharat Scout group, who assemble on the grounds on Sundays. "His batting stance showed that he must have been a cricket player in his youth," Yazdegardi said about Sunak.
"No trip to Mumbai would be complete without a game of tennis ball cricket," Sunak posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Sunak proceeded to the Cricket Club of India (CCI) at Churchgate for breakfast. He was scheduled to watch the India-England T20 match at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday evening.
Born to parents of Indian descent who emigrated to Britain from East Africa, Sunak was the youngest prime minister of the United Kingdom in over 200 years. His term lasted nearly two years until Nov 2024 when the Labour Party swept the elections. He remains a Conservative MP, having stepped down as Leader of the Opposition. tnn