This Dubai man once crossed a barbed wire fence for Gavaskar's autograph. Now he is ICC's global partner

Ajay Sethi was barely 17 when he saw Sunil Gavaskar, his biggest cricketing hero, in the flesh.

The year was 1980 and Gavaskar, a superstar in world cricket back then, was at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh for a domestic match that also featured local hero Kapil Dev.

Kapil had just cemented his place in the Indian team as a fast-bowling all-rounder of immense potential.

But it was not Kapil who drew Sethi to the Sector 16 Stadium.

“I had already seen what Kapil was made of long before he played for India,” Sethi told the Khaleej Times.

“I went to the same college in Chandigarh as Kapil did. He was already a hero in our college.

“I remember all of us rushing to our college ground every time Kapil was batting because he could effortlessly hit those massive sixes. Many of those landed in our canteen.”

But on that day in 1980, Sethi rushed to the stadium to catch a glimpse of Gavaskar, the man who set a new benchmark for Indian cricket with his classical style of batsmanship.

Sethi had not seen any of Gavaskar’s classics. Like millions of Indians those days, he could only follow Gavaskar's epoch-making cricket journey through the radio commentary.

“When he came out for the pre-match warm-up that day in Chandigarh, I could not control my emotions. I crossed the barbed wire fence and ran on to the ground for his autograph,” Sethi recalled.

Sethi did manage to get the autograph, but as a result of his adventure, he also had a cut on his right thigh.

He saw his torn trouser and the bad bruise, but in that moment the only thing he felt was a sense of joy.

Now 43 years later, Sethi counts Gavaskar among his best friends.

The man who grew up following his hero’s every milestone on the radio in the 1970s, is now the chairman and MD of the Channel 2 Group Corporation, the global audio rights holders for all ICC tournaments, including the 2023 50 Overs World Cup in India.

“We have a long-term radio partnership with the ICC. As many as nine broadcasters are broadcasting the World Cup globally,” the Dubai-based Indian businessman said.

Sethi’s impressive media business didn’t take shape overnight. Having tried his hand in the automobile business after moving to Kenya in 1984, Sethi came into his own as an entrepreneur after he decided to shift base to Dubai in 1993.

It took him another 10 years to make a foray into the radio business.

He hasn’t looked back since, winning the global audio rights for every ICC event since 2009.

“When I launched my radio business, I got top commentators on board. Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Clive Lloyd, Zaheer Abbas, these are giants of the game, people never saw them do radio commentary in the past, they were always on TV. But I brought them to the radio commentary box,” he said.

“Not only did I bring them to radio commentary, I also developed a personal relationship with them. All of them are now my friends.”

Remarkably, Sethi also credits these cricket legends for his success as a businessman.

“What I have learned from these legends is the value of humility and discipline. This has helped me a lot in my business which has grown over the years,” he said.

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