Playing It My Way: My Autobiography (60 page)

Sir doesn’t speak much these days, but I think that he was happy.

The other thing I did on the day of my retirement was attend a farewell party at the Waterstones club in Mumbai organized by Anjali and my friends Sanjay and Rachna Narang. I have fond memories of the club because it was where Anjali and the Narangs had organized our World Cup celebration party as well. On that occasion, the party was organized overnight and invites sent entirely by text message. This time, however, it was far more elaborate – something I found out later. Friends and well-wishers from around the world had turned up to celebrate my career and we spent a lovely evening together. Some of my closest friends stayed till ten the following morning and we enjoyed reminiscing about the best moments from a twenty-four-year-long career.

1st Test. Kolkata. 6–8 November 2013

West Indies 234 (MN Samuels 65; M Shami 4–71, R Ashwin 2–52,
SR Tendulkar 1–5
) and 168 (DM Bravo 37, KOA Powell 36; M Shami 5–47, R Ashwin 3–46)

India 453 (RG Sharma 177, R Ashwin 124,
SR Tendulkar 10
; S Shillingford 6–167, V Permaul 2–67)

India won by an innings and 51 runs

2nd Test. Mumbai. 14–16 November 2013

West Indies 182 (KOA Powell 48; PP Ojha 5–40, R Ashwin 3–45) and 187 (D Ramdin 53*, S Chanderpaul 41; PP Ojha 5–49, R Ashwin 4–89)

India 495 (CA Pujara 113, RG Sharma 111*,
SR Tendulkar 74
, V Kohli 57; S Shillingford 5–179, N Deonarine 2–45)

India won by an innings and 126 runs

India won the series 2–0

I leave Indian cricket in safe hands. I have played with the current generation of cricketers who now constitute the core of the Indian team. Batting, I feel, will continue to be our strength and the current crop, which is a good mix of experience and youth, will surely play together for many years and serve the country with distinction. On the bowling side, while some of our bowlers are doing well, we need to find a few more talented fast bowlers. In the past we have had some really good bowling pairs, but what we need now is a bowling unit that will play for the team at the same time. This is a tough challenge, but with the depth of talent available in the country, I am sure we are up to it.

Finally, the game of cricket itself is extremely vibrant. Cricket is the only sport that has three distinctive formats and each format has a constituency of its own. While Test cricket will always remain the pinnacle, one-day international cricket too is in good shape, with the Champions Trophy and the fifty-over World Cup seeing tremendous support the world over. Also, Twenty20 continues to attract the youth, as shown by the popularity of the IPL.

A lot of people have asked me what I will be doing in the future. Frankly, I don’t know. When I started out playing cricket at eleven years of age I had no idea I would go on to play for India or would play 200 Test matches. All I knew was that I wanted to play the game well and enjoy every moment. I stayed in the moment and lived each situation as they came to me.

I had never thought there would come a time when I would not be able to go out for walks with my children, or take them shopping, that going out to watch a film or taking my family out for dinner would require meticulous planning. However, I don’t regret any of it, for all of that is a small price to pay for the affection and warmth the people of my country have showered on me all the way through my career.

I am in a very similar state at the start of my second innings. All I am doing now is trying to spend a lot of time with my family and sometimes not doing anything at all! This was impossible when I was an active cricketer but now I am learning to take time off, and I must say I am enjoying myself at home. Cricket allowed us to have a place of our own, our current bungalow in Bandra West, and Anjali and I have taken care to ensure every little thing has been handpicked by us. From growing up as a child in a one-room place next to Shivaji Park, to sleeping in our living room with Ajit till 1994, to finally owning a bungalow in Bandra – by being true to cricket I have been able to fulfil a lifelong dream of owning my own house.

Something else I always wanted was to have my parents stay with me, and while my dream of having my father to stay at my own place was not fulfilled – he passed away in 1999, and we moved into our apartment in La Mer in 2000 – my mother now stays with me, giving me immense fulfilment and pride. In fact, on 28 September 2011, the day we moved into our bungalow in Bandra West, I took my mother to the bungalow at six in the morning and showed her around the whole house in her wheelchair. I had driven her in a small car to avoid attention and wheeled her in her chair myself for the entire time. She was actually the first person to enter the house, which made the occasion all the more joyous.

As I start my second innings, I will do exactly what I did when I was eleven, live and enjoy each moment. I don’t know where my life is heading, nor do I want to predict anything. I will just take things as they come, as I did when I played my first innings. There is one difference, however. As I move on in life I will always live with the satisfaction that I managed to play the first innings my way, and have been able to leave behind a legacy I can now look back on with pride.

All my friends … settle down, let me talk, I will get more and more emotional … my life, between 22 yards for twenty-four years, it’s hard to believe that that wonderful journey is coming to an end, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank people who’ve played an important role in my life. Also, for the first time in my life I am carrying this list, to remember all the names in case I forget someone. I hope you understand … it’s getting a little difficult to talk, but I’ll manage.

The most, the most important person in my life, and I have missed him a lot since 1999 when he passed away, my father. Without … without his guidance, I don’t think I would have been standing here in front of you. He gave me freedom at the age of eleven and told me ‘Chase your dreams, but make sure you don’t find short cuts. The path might be difficult, but don’t give up.’ And I have simply followed his instructions. Above all, he told me to be a nice human being, which I will continue to do so, I have tried my best. Every time, every time I have done something special, whenever I’ve showed my bat, it was for my father, so I miss him today.

My mother, I don’t know how she dealt with such a naughty child like me. I was not easy to manage. She must be extremely patient. For a mother, the most important thing is that her child remains safe and healthy and fit, and that’s what she was most bothered about and worried about. She, she took care of me … for the last twenty-four years that I have played for India, but even before that, she started praying for me the day I started playing cricket. She just prayed and prayed and prayed, and I think her prayers and blessings have given me the strength to go out and perform, so a big thank you to my mother for all the sacrifices.

In my schooldays, for four years I stayed with my uncle and my aunt, because my school was quite far from my home, and they treated me like their son. My aunt – after having had a hard day’s play, I would be half asleep and she would be feeding me food so that I could go and play again tomorrow. I can’t forget these moments. I am like their son and I am glad that it has continued to be the same way.

My eldest brother, Nitin, and his family have always encouraged me. My eldest brother doesn’t like to talk much, but the one thing he always told me is, ‘Whatever you do, I know you will give a hundred per cent, and I have full confidence and faith in you.’ His encouragement meant a lot to me. My sister, Savita, and her family, was no different. The first cricket bat of my life was presented to me by my sister, it was a Kashmir willow bat … but that is where the journey began. She is one of those many who still continue to fast when I bat, so thank you very much.

Ajit, my brother, now what do I talk about him? I don’t know, really. We’ve, we’ve lived this dream together. He was the one who sacrificed his career for my cricket. He spotted the spark in me. And it all started from the age of eleven when he took me to Achrekar Sir, my coach, and from there on my life changed. You will find this hard to believe that even last night he called me and we were discussing my dismissal, knowing that there was a remote chance of batting again, but just that, the habit which we have developed and the rapport that we have developed, since my birth, it has continued and it will continue. Maybe even when I’m not playing cricket we will still be discussing technique. Various things, various things we agreed upon, my technique, and so many technical things which I didn’t agree with him, we have had arguments and disagreements, but in the end when I look back at all those things, if that hadn’t happened in my life, I would have been a lesser cricketer.

The most beautiful thing happened to me in 1990 when I met my wife, Anjali. Those were, those were special years and it has continued and it will always continue that way. I know, I know Anjali, being a doctor, there was a wonderful career in front of her. When we decided to have a family, Anjali took the initiative to step back and say that, ‘You continue with your cricket and I’ll take the responsibility of the family.’ Without, without that, I don’t think I would have been able to play cricket freely and without any stress. Thanks for bearing up, bearing with all my fuss, all my frustrations and all sorts of rubbish that I have spoken – I normally do. Thanks for bearing with me and always staying by my side through the ups and downs. You are the best partnership I’ve had in my life.

Then, then the two precious diamonds of my life, Sara and Arjun. They have already grown up. You know, my daughter is sixteen, my son is fourteen. Time has flown by. I wanted to spend so much time with them on special occasions like their birthdays, their annual days, sports day, going on holidays, whatever. I have missed out on all those things. Thanks for your understanding. Both of you … have been so, so special to me … you cannot imagine. I promise you, I promise you, for fourteen years and sixteen years I have not spent enough time with both of you, but the next, the next sixteen years or even beyond that, everything is for you.

My, my in-laws, Anand Mehta and Annabel, both have been so, so supportive, loving, caring … I have discussed on various, various things in life, generally with them, and taken their advice. You know, it’s so important to have a strong family who is always with you and guiding you. Before you start clapping, the most important thing they did was allowing me to marry Anjali, so thank you very much.

In the last, in the last twenty-four years that I have played for India I have made new friends, and before that I have had friends from my childhood. They all have had a terrific contribution. Right from, you know, as and when I have called them to come and bowl to me in the nets, they have left all their work aside and come and helped me. Be it joining me on holidays and having discussions on cricket, when I was a little stressed and wanting to find a solution so that I could perform better – all those moments, my friends were with me. Even for whenever I was injured, I would wake up in the morning because I could not sleep, I thought my career was over because of injuries, that’s when my friends have woken up at three o’clock in the morning to drive with me and just make me believe that ‘Your career is not over.’ Life … would be incomplete without all those friends. Thanks for being there for me.

My cricket career started when I was eleven. The turning point of my career was when my brother took me to Achrekar Sir, my coach. I was extremely delighted to see him up in the stands. Normally he sits in front of the television and he watches all the games that I play. When I was … when I was eleven/twelve, those, those were the days where I used to hop back on his scooter and play a couple of practice matches a day. You know, first half of the innings I would be batting on Shivaji Park, the second half some other match at Azad Maidan. Sir would be taking me all over Mumbai to make sure that I got match practice.

On a lighter note, in the last twenty-nine years Sir has never ever said ‘well played’ to me because he thought I would get complacent and I would stop working hard. Maybe he can, he can push his luck and wish me now ‘well done’ on my career, and because there are no more matches, sir, in my life. I will be witnessing cricket, and cricket will always stay in my heart, but you had an immense contribution in my life, so thank you very much.

My cricket for Mumbai started right here on this ground, the Mumbai Cricket Association, which is so dear to me. I remember landing from New Zealand at four o’clock in the morning and turning up for a game at eight o’clock here, just because I wanted to be part of Mumbai cricket, not that anyone forced me or Mumbai Cricket Association pressurized me to be here, but that was for the love of Mumbai cricket. And thank you very much – the president is here – thank you very much, along with your team, for taking care of me and looking after my cricket.

The dream was obviously to, to play for India, and that’s where my association with BCCI started. BCCI was fantastic, right from the, from my debut. Believing in my ability, selecting me in the squad at the age of sixteen was, was a big step. So thanks to all the selectors for having, having faith in me and the BCCI for giving me the freedom to express myself out in the middle. Things would have been different if you had not been behind me, and I really appreciate your support. Especially when I was injured, you were right with me and making sure that all the treatments were taken care of and I got fit and fine, playing back for India.

The journey has been special, the last twenty-four years. I have played with many, many senior cricketers, and even before that there were many senior cricketers whom I watched on television – they inspired me to play cricket and play it the right way. Thanks so much to all those senior cricketers. Unfortunately I have not been able to play with them, but I have high regards for all their achievements and all their contributions.