"I still admire him." Itu00a0 certainly isn't a sentiment everyone shares about Ajay Sharma but Manan is his son after all.

Ajay, a former India cricketer, was banned for life in 2000 when he was implicated in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the cricket world.

Manan, who is all set to embark on an important tour to Australia for three one-dayers and two three-day games with the India U-19 team, chose to look at the brighter side of his father's career.



"I know my father as a domestic king who scored loads of runs for Delhi. I still cherish his feats and I am very proud of what he has achieved," Manan told MiD DAY after a practice match on the eve of their departure at the Mumbai Cricket Association's BKC ground yesterday.

Sharma Sr, who turns 45 today, was a prolific runscorer for Delhi. His first-class average was the third highest of any player to have scored 10,000 runs - he scored 31 centuries. In 1999-2000, he became the Ranji Trophy's highest runscorer. Sharma however, played only one Test and 31 ODIs after he was found guilty of associating with bookmakers, eventually bringing down the curtain his promising career.

"What happened in the year 2000 was unfortunate and sad. We don't talk about it (match-fixing scandal) at all. It is all forgotten," added the 18-year-old, who like his father is a left-arm spinner and right-hand batsman.

The Class XII Arts student from New Delhi said his father is his mentor. "He travels with me for my matches sometimes. He has taught me the nuances of this game. He's always been there whenever I needed him. He was very happy when I got selected for the India under-19 team. He has high expectations from me. I hope I can live up to his expectations. I want to achieve what my father could not."