Last night I did what many of you reading this blog - not to mention 50 million Indians - would consider a complete fantasy. I had dinner with the Indian cricket team. I sat next to the skipper Rahul Dravid and opposite the man Shane Warne described as the greatest cricketer he had seen in his lifetime, Sachin Tendulkar.
Mr Dravid remined me that he didn't play for India until the age of 22, whereas Tendulkar first appeared at Lords at the age of 17. If you look at the statistics carefully, it is fascinating to see that Dravid has a higher test average than Tendulkar although he is a thousand runs and several tests behind him. Dravid will unquestionably reach the magic mark of 10,000 test runs which divides the very good from the great, whereas Tendulkar will probably pass Brian Lara's record of test runs - he needs another 600 - during the upcoming series in Australia at the end of this year. The last appearance for these two great men at the home of English cricket will be when they play against England tomorow. Both men will deservedly receive a standing ovation from the moment they leave the pavilion until they take guard, and both will receive another standing ovation when they leave the ground, even if they score a duck, for they have graced the game with distinction for the past two decades.
A fact that many of you may not know is that neither of them has ever scored a hundred at Lords. I will be sitting in Ian Botham's box tomorrow hoping they both score centuries and that England win in the last over. That's how it would end in one of my short stories, though I fear reality may not be quite as exciting. I salute both of these men and wish them well in whatever careers they pursue in the future, although if you've sat on the top of Mount Olympus there are few peaks left to conquer.
Mr Dravid remined me that he didn't play for India until the age of 22, whereas Tendulkar first appeared at Lords at the age of 17. If you look at the statistics carefully, it is fascinating to see that Dravid has a higher test average than Tendulkar although he is a thousand runs and several tests behind him. Dravid will unquestionably reach the magic mark of 10,000 test runs which divides the very good from the great, whereas Tendulkar will probably pass Brian Lara's record of test runs - he needs another 600 - during the upcoming series in Australia at the end of this year. The last appearance for these two great men at the home of English cricket will be when they play against England tomorow. Both men will deservedly receive a standing ovation from the moment they leave the pavilion until they take guard, and both will receive another standing ovation when they leave the ground, even if they score a duck, for they have graced the game with distinction for the past two decades.
A fact that many of you may not know is that neither of them has ever scored a hundred at Lords. I will be sitting in Ian Botham's box tomorrow hoping they both score centuries and that England win in the last over. That's how it would end in one of my short stories, though I fear reality may not be quite as exciting. I salute both of these men and wish them well in whatever careers they pursue in the future, although if you've sat on the top of Mount Olympus there are few peaks left to conquer.
5 Comments:
I'm jealous :)
And my Lord, 50 million is a gross underestimation, out of the 1.25 billion odd people in India, I suspect *more* than 50 million would jump at a chance to have dinner with Messrs Dravid and Tendulkar!!
I hope the game tomorrow is as exicitign as the previous ones. May the best team win!! I desparately hope that Sachin gets a ton. A fitting send off from England for *the* batsman of our times!!
I very much look forward to your new book!
and what sir is your prediction for this world cup? and please dont say australia...hehe....I am waiting impatiently for your new book to come out....cheers
i am jealous too
dinner with cricketing giants,
thats awesome.
well sachin missed the ton at lords again. hard luck.
its good to know that u r also inclined towards cricket.i didnt now it.
"Mr Dravid remined me that he didn't play for India until the age of 22, whereas Tendulkar first appeared at Lords at the age of 17."
But it's possible to play for your country before playing at Lords, Jeffrey! (grand though the old place is).
I only say this because saw him in early 1990 in New Zealand, when he was only 16. Nearly made a hundred in one of the tests too, as I recall.
Yup, though The Little master has more runs to show for, Rahul Dravid has higher average which is not surprising given his consistency.
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