Dubai: A laser-engraved tribute to India's Champions Trophy heroes

Khaleej Times

17-03-2025

Barely five days after fireworks illuminated Dubai Sports City following India's memorable win over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final, cricket-loving UAE residents from the South Asian country arrived at the Shyam Bhatia Cricket Museum to celebrate the glorious triumph of Rohit Sharma's team.
For Shyam Bhatia, a Dubai-based Indian businessman and a passionate promoter of the sport whose one-of-a-kind museum nestles elegantly in the backyard of his Jumeirah residence, cricket is a celebration of life.
'I remember we had our first celebrations at our residence after India had won the first T20 World Cup in 2007. I was at the final in South Africa and then when I returned home, we had a big party here,' Bhatia said during the celebrations at his residence on Friday.
Among the many glorious collections in Bhatia's museum is a cricket bat signed by the players of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team.
The evergreen cricket enthusiast has a new addition to his museum, a laser-engraved memento depicting the triumphant Indian team after the 2025 Champions Trophy final.
The memento was presented to Bhatia by Akbar Sura, Owner, Crystal Gallery LLC, during the ceremony.
'I cannot think of any other individual who has done so much for the game of cricket,' Sura said of Bhatia who also donates cricket equipment in countries like Ukraine and Japan to help the game grow at the grassroots level.
'All these initiatives have been privately funded, the effort that has gone into it, is something unthinkable. So this is something I have always appreciated about him and that's why I am so happy that I was able to contribute in a small way,' the Indian expat added.
Sura then revealed how he created a memento for Bhatia to celebrate India's Champions Trophy victory.
'I wanted to create something unique and exquisite and something that could be most appropriate for the occasion,' he said.
'We needed a photograph of the team celebrating with the trophy, again it was very challenging for me to identify the right photograph because the process that we do is laser engraved process.
'So we used a computer-directed laser beam to create an image without affecting the outer surface of the crystal. And this was done in a 3D concept. Every player's expression in that picture has been captured. We had limited time to do this, but what we created was very satisfying.'
Meanwhile, Gopal Jasapara, head coach of the Dubai-based G Force Cricket Academy, said the Indian team deserved all the accolades.
'It was wonderful to celebrate India's victory at Mr Bhatia's place. This Indian team has been brilliant in the white-ball format,' he said.
'I know some critics are talking about India's advantage of playing all matches in Dubai. Yes, they had a very strong team for the conditions in Dubai, but don't forget they trained at the ICC Academy where the wickets were completely different.
'Also, regardless of the conditions, you have to play good cricket to win matches, and they played very good cricket in the tournament.'
Mohamed Lokhandwala, an Indian expat and a former UAE national cricket team manager, feels privileged to have witnessed the Indian juggernaut in Dubai.
'It's a blessing in disguise, it was a tournament organised in Pakistan by the PCB. India refused to travel so the matches were played in Dubai. As cricket fans, it was great for us. And brilliant performance from the Indian team, they didn't even lose a single match,' he said.
'I have seen cricket here in this country when there were no grass pitches. It's amazing to see this transformation where we have top international events regularly.
'So we feel lucky that India got to play all their matches in Dubai and won every match to take the trophy.'