Mumbai, Feb. 19: Wednesday's awards night of the Board of Control for Cricket in India were mainly dedicated to reviving the memories of years gone by, as Gundappa Vishwanath was felicitated with the CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award at Taj Lands End. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh were given special awards for receiving the Khel Ratna and Padmashree awards.

Virender Sehwag was the recepient of the Polly Umrigar award while Mithali Raj and M.D. Thirushkamini were given MA Chidambaram Trophy (Best Women Cricketer of the year).

There was a small clip on the career of Vishwanath and the victories of 1971. Fondly known as 'Vishy', he recollected that a lot of people had criticised him for his height, but grit and the determination to prove everyone wrong got him going.

"I was always told that short players can't excel in any sport. I had to prove them wrong so I kept playing till I got to my destination despite of all the odds," said Vishwanath.

He also said the best moment of his career was when India beat England and the West Indies in 1971 and1976 respectively. "I will never forget this I got out on zero on debut and was very disappointed. But Eknath Solkar kept me motivated and told me a lot of player make zero on their debut match and still go on to become great player. So I followed his advice and today here I am," said Vishwanath.

BCCI awards: C.K. Nayudu: G.R. Vishwanath (Rs 15 lakh)

Polly Umrigar: Virender Sehwag (Rs 5 lakh)

Madhavrao Scindia (Batsman): Cheteshwar Pujara (Rs 1 lakh)

Madhavrao Scindia (Bowler): Sudeep Tyagi (Rs-1 lakh)

MA Chidambaram Trophy Best Women Cricketer: Mithali Raj (Rs 50,000)

MA Chidambaram Trophy Best Women Cricketer- MD Thirushkamini- Rs 50,000