Last night's Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century Awards, held at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, was a night to remember with famous Indian cricketers, past and present, coming together for the coveted award. And what's more, Wisden Online were there and got a taste of the pre- and post-award atmosphere. As the crowd gathered, they were treated to the arrivals (and signatures) of the three main contenders, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, along with other greats such as Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Mushtaq Ali and Vinod Kambli - and Sir Vivian Richards, the great West Indian, who was there to present the main award.

After the ceremony, Gundappa Viswanath, winner of the Spirit of Cricket award, spoke to Wisden and praised the event. He described it as "one of the best ceremonies I have ever attended ... I enjoyed every minute." Another prizewinner, Chandra, also came away smiling, saying that he enjoyed the evening and that his Best Bowling award (for his 6 for 38 at The Oval in 1971) was one of the greatest honours he has received.

The main man, Kapil Dev, told Wisden - as he was besieged by well-wishers all begging for his autograph - that he was "happy and glad" to receive the honour, and he looked even more so as he left the building to be congratulated by an massive throng of Indian fans.

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