It was the only pleasant evening of the tour so far, an evening when we weren?t talking how badly India played, what went wrong and what?s the way forward from here on. An evening full of wit, humour, interesting conversation and finally a most interesting auction. And the venue, the Long Room at Lord?s, could not have been better chosen. The occasion was the official launch of the Yuvraj Singh Foundation and the Indian Cricket Dundee, Indian cricket?s first proper fan club.
The evening started with the Master of Ceremonies Nasser Hussain asking Yuvraj his ideas behind the foundation, following which Charan Shetty, founder and president of the Indian Cricket Dundee outlined his vision for the fan club. ICD, it must be acknowledged, is now most needed than ever with the Indian team hitting rock bottom, their worst performance in Test cricket since the 1990s. To be able to stand by the team at this moment of crisis will surely be a test of patience and dedication for the members of ICD, something Shetty highlighted in the course of his conversation with Hussain.
The highlights of the evening were, however, the three interactions, the first with Sachin Tendulkar followed by Hussain?s questions and answers with MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid. Nasser, witty and intelligent, set the tone by asking Tendulkar if he liked being Sachin Tendulkar and how difficult was it being Sachin Tendulkar and does he think about the 100th hundred as we fans and analysts do? Tendulkar was honest in saying that he enjoys being Sachin Tendulkar the cricketer because it is the only thing he knows how to do well. More interestingly he suggested that he has tried desperately to keep the 100th hundred out of his mind. To do so he stopped reading newspapers, watching news channels and discussing cricket in public.
But by his own confession he can hardly preempt room service men from coming in to his hotel room. And almost all of them on bringing his food have requested him to get the 100th ton as soon as possible. Now that?s the problem of being Sachin Tendulkar!
The Q and A with Dhoni was the one many were waiting for. What would the captain say on what has transpired on this tour so far, does he acknowledge that his team was playing too much cricket and how does he handle the burden of a billion expectations? Hussain added spice by asking Dhoni if he was the ?cool dude? the world thinks he is? Speaking his mind Dhoni suggested that he was certainly not in control of his emotions at all times and did feel the anger and frustration that all of us feel. For the sake of his team, however, he tries to mask his emotion and conduct himself in a calm and composed manner. ?I know full well that in India expectations will only grow. That?s the reality in Indian cricket. In such a situation the only thing I can do is be honest, with myself and my team. I don?t know if I am a good leader or a born leader. All I know is that I have to be honest with my team to be able to do my job well. That?s all I can do. There will be occasions when we are outclassed and outplayed. But I need to continue to be honest. All players play to win and it must be understood that India will not always win. Others too are playing to win and can play better than us on occasions. At such moments we have to keep giving our best and keep being honest to our cause. That?s the only thing we can do.?
The best answer, and the one that drew the most applause, was when Hussain compared Dhoni?s growing popularity with Sachin?s. ?Will you say that after winning the World Cup fans back home will queue up to wait for Mahendra Singh Dhoni more than they will do for Sachin Tendulkar?? asked Hussain. ?The only time I can slip away from the fans is when Sachin is with me. In fact I have started waiting for Sachin at airports for I know the moment Sachin comes fans will inevitably queue up for him and I can walk past without being hounded. Sachin has always been more popular and will always be? suggested Dhoni.
The evening ended with people putting their hands in their pockets to buy several pieces of memorabilia signed by the Indian players, proceeds that will go to the Yuvraj Singh foundation. Leaving Lord?s at close to midnight, it was an evening to remember. Here?s wishing ICD and the Yuvraj Foundation all the best.
The writer is a sports historian