Bowled over!
That day, that moment, when I was too star-struck to interview the cricket legend Ravi Shastri
Sometime in the early 2000s, ex-cricket all-rounder Ravi Shastri was in Kolkata – a city he often visited on business. He used to be a cricket commentator in those days and a very popular one at that.
His popularity wasn’t restricted to the pitch or the commentators’ box, but also beyond the spectators’ stands and the stadium. And that’s where I met him in person for the first time: at a nightclub run by a leading luxury hotel chain.
One of my friends, who happen to be Shastri’s very close friend, offered to be the mediator. My excuse was an appointment for an interview for the daily I used to work for at that time. But my friend suggested, I join them at the party the night before the appointment, and so I tagged along.
It turned out to be an evening of fun and frolic, while the spirits ran loose. It was also an evening of warm hosts and equally enjoyable conversations. Midway through it, I almost forgot who I was partying with. It was almost in the wee hours of the morning that we parted ways and I went back home.
Our appointment was scheduled for 7am. Quite naturally, I was worried about not making it in time. I even wondered if Shastri will be in a state to talk to me before he had to rush off to the airport by 8am. I was also worried about not being able to deliver the article to my editor, as promised.
Panicking with all these apprehensions, I reached the luxury hotel where Shastri had put up. When I asked for him in the reception, they informed he was in the coffee shop. I was actually five minutes before the scheduled time.At the coffee shop, I saw him sipping on his black coffee and reading the newspaper. The moment he spotted me, he put the newspaper away and turned into a perfect host. Pouring me a cup of tea and offering me the food on the table.
Although I had already met him (and so informally!) the evening before, I was tongue-tied and in awe of this great personality sitting across the table from me. At one point, I even apologised for not being able to put my words together coherently. As for Shastri, he was extremely professional and smoothly shifted gears from being a party animal to a dignified retired sports personality.
As I was done with the interview, our friend arrived and Shastri got up to leave for the airport. That’s when I truly noticed the good looks of the man who lead the Indian cricket team to so many victories internationally. I even noticed the fingers that have spun the ball so deftly and the arms that have swung the bat to fours and sixes.
Of course we found enough time to click a few photographs as he made his way out of the hotel lobby. By then I had had enough years in journalism to meet and interview a lot of famous people. But I had never felt as tongue-tied and in awe of a personality as I did with Shastri that morning.
Blame it on the excitement from the day before, or genuine appreciation of the legend that Shastri is, I am so looking forward to meeting the man again in person. With Shastri as the Director of the Indian cricket team currently, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 does come with a lot of promise!
That day, that moment, when I was too star-struck to interview the cricket legend Ravi Shastri
Sometime in the early 2000s, ex-cricket all-rounder Ravi Shastri was in Kolkata – a city he often visited on business. He used to be a cricket commentator in those days and a very popular one at that.
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That day, that moment, when I was too star-struck to interview the cricket legend Ravi Shastri
Sometime in the early 2000s, ex-cricket all-rounder Ravi Shastri was in Kolkata – a city he often visited on business. He used to be a cricket commentator in those days and a very popular one at that.
His popularity wasn’t restricted to the pitch or the commentators’ box, but also beyond the spectators’ stands and the stadium. And that’s where I met him in person for the first time: at a nightclub run by a leading luxury hotel chain.
One of my friends, who happen to be Shastri’s very close friend, offered to be the mediator. My excuse was an appointment for an interview for the daily I used to work for at that time. But my friend suggested, I join them at the party the night before the appointment, and so I tagged along.
It turned out to be an evening of fun and frolic, while the spirits ran loose. It was also an evening of warm hosts and equally enjoyable conversations. Midway through it, I almost forgot who I was partying with. It was almost in the wee hours of the morning that we parted ways and I went back home.
Our appointment was scheduled for 7am. Quite naturally, I was worried about not making it in time. I even wondered if Shastri will be in a state to talk to me before he had to rush off to the airport by 8am. I was also worried about not being able to deliver the article to my editor, as promised.
Panicking with all these apprehensions, I reached the luxury hotel where Shastri had put up. When I asked for him in the reception, they informed he was in the coffee shop. I was actually five minutes before the scheduled time.At the coffee shop, I saw him sipping on his black coffee and reading the newspaper. The moment he spotted me, he put the newspaper away and turned into a perfect host. Pouring me a cup of tea and offering me the food on the table.
Although I had already met him (and so informally!) the evening before, I was tongue-tied and in awe of this great personality sitting across the table from me. At one point, I even apologised for not being able to put my words together coherently. As for Shastri, he was extremely professional and smoothly shifted gears from being a party animal to a dignified retired sports personality.
As I was done with the interview, our friend arrived and Shastri got up to leave for the airport. That’s when I truly noticed the good looks of the man who lead the Indian cricket team to so many victories internationally. I even noticed the fingers that have spun the ball so deftly and the arms that have swung the bat to fours and sixes.
Of course we found enough time to click a few photographs as he made his way out of the hotel lobby. By then I had had enough years in journalism to meet and interview a lot of famous people. But I had never felt as tongue-tied and in awe of a personality as I did with Shastri that morning.
Blame it on the excitement from the day before, or genuine appreciation of the legend that Shastri is, I am so looking forward to meeting the man again in person. With Shastri as the Director of the Indian cricket team currently, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 does come with a lot of promise!
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