Yuvi dedicates ton to long lost friend

So yesterday, when he hammerred an 85-ball 102, his first-ever century, against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, he looked back up to the sky and said: ‘‘Aman, this is for you.’’

The name, Aman, may not ring any bells. But Amandeep Nat was Yuvi’s best friend who passed away before turning 16, in June 1994.

‘‘Aman was my best friend and I dedicate my first century to him and his family in Chandigarh. I wish he was alive to see me scoring my first 100 for the country,’’ Yuvraj told The Indian Express from Dhaka today.

A budding cricketer, Aman was a bright prospect and took to the game along with Yuvraj. Both the youngsters spent a lot of time together in the early 90s and practised together at Sector 8 DAV cricket coaching centre and at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. Together, they represented Chandigarh in the under-16 Punjab inter-district tournament in 1994.

‘‘Aman was a few months shy of turning 16 when he passed away in his sleep. It was a huge shock for me personally. We had played so much of cricket together. I still shudder at the sight of seeing his face turned blue after death. It was persaonal tragedy for me. I had never imagined that one day, I’ll have to play in his memorial tournament, which I eventually did,’’ said an emotional Yuvraj.

Back home in Sector 9, Aman’s father Jagmohan Singh Nat, a Deputy General Manager with the Semi Conducters Limited, turns nostalgic recalling the duo’s friendship. ‘‘It seems just like yesterday. Yuvi lived in Sector 10 in those days. He used to come to our place early in the morning to pick Aman and both used to go for the nets together. Just like Yuvi, Aman was also very hard working and was spoken highly by his coaches,’’ Jagmohan recalls.

Though the Nats had decided to migrate to the US, Aman’s love for cricket forced them to think otherwise. ‘‘We had planned to go to the US. But just four days before our flight to the US, he passed away,’’ Jagmohan, himself a university-level cricket player says.

A memorial cricket tournament for Aman is still organised every year at Rampura Phul in the Bhatinda district of Punjab. ‘‘Chandigarh Golf Club also plays host to Aman Memorial Golf Tournament (for juniors and sub-juniors) which was started around four years back,’’ adds Aman’s father who doesn’t stops thanking Yuvraj for the nice gesture.