'I would love to go to the place where was I born and grew up in. The nearest I came to visiting Junagarh was when I played the Dilip Sardesai benefit game in Ahmedabad.'
Former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad turned up on day four of the Edgbaston Test between India and England sporting a tie that had an Indian flag embossed on it, tri-colour of a country that he left as a six-year-old and wishes to visit in his golden years despite the many complications.
The 81-year-old was born in Junagadh in Gujarat and although content with his life in Birmingham, he nurtures a desire to see the place of his origin at least once.
Mushtaq did visit India twice during his playing days, first in 1961 for a Test tour before returning in 1978 for a Dilip Sardesai benefit match in Ahmedabad.
On both occasions, he wanted to make a dash to Junagarh, a former princely state from where he migrated to Karachi as a six-year-old. However, his schedule did not allow that and decades later, it remains an unfulfilled wish.
He is now settled in Birmingham but being a Pakistani, getting an Indian visa is complicated and he experienced that while making rounds of the Indian High Commission here a few years ago.
He wanted to attend the wedding of his lifelong friend Bishan Singh Bedi's daughter. But his visa did not arrive in time.
"I would love to go to the place where was I born and grew up in. The nearest I came to visiting Junagarh was when I played the Dilip Sardesai benefit game in Ahmedabad. I could have taken the train to Junagrah but the schedule was so tight.
"Unfortunately, I could not return after that," said the former all-rounder, who played 57 Tests for Pakistan after debuting as a 15-year-old.
Mushtaq has kept the Gujarat connect alive through language. He understands Gujarati very well despite not being a fluent speaker of the language.
Speaking to PTI, Mushtaq got emotional while talking about Bedi, his "great friend" who is sadly no more.
The former Pakistan all-rounder credits Bedi for making a leg-spinner out of him when nobody else took his bowling seriously. Mushtaq picked up 79 wickets in Tests and scored 3543 runs.
"Bishan, what a humorous man. He loved his cricket. We played together at Northamptonshire for six years, our families had so much love for each other. I recently met the Bedi family in London, the great Zaheer Abbas was also there.
"I can't forget those years. Very sad to lose him, bas yaadein rahe jaati hain (all we have are memories)," said one of Pakistan's finest all-rounders.
Their relationship went beyond the game but Mushtaq is forever indebted to Bedi for making him a potent leg-spinner.
"His contribution to Northamptonshire and English cricket is tremendous. He helped me become the bowler that I became.
"My selection in the side was as a batter who could bowl a little. I loved bowling but nobody trusted me. When Bishan saw me playing at Northampton, he said you have got a great ability to bowl.
"He used to spend time with me in the nets, he used to tell me how to bowl. (He would tell me) 'don't get scared if you are hit for a six as a leg-spinner'. Spinners buy their wicket," he said, recalling their conversations.
Mushtaq said all his wickets were thanks to the belief Bedi instilled in him.
"He told me a lot of things about leg spin and I became a good bowler. At end of my career, I got plenty of runs but I never thought I could get 936 wickets in first class cricket.
"It is quite a lot for someone who did not believe in himself. Bishan was the only one who made me into a bowler," the respect and love for the former India captain was evident in his tone.
Mushtaq was also good friends with other Indian cricketers including Sunil Gavaskar, whom he met on the sidelines of the Edgbaston Test, and Kapil Dev.
"Gavaskar was the best batter of my time. He scored so many hundreds against that West Indies attack and that too without a helmet. It was incredible," he said.
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