'My parents were crying because they were so excited that I was on screen, that it was an YRF film, and it was opposite Rani Mukerji.'
Sir Garfield Sobers, widely considered the greatest all-rounder in cricket history, passed away just days before his 90th birthday, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy that included a significant connection with India both on and off the field.
The MCC, the eternal custodian of the game's laws, has once again stepped in to plug loopholes and sharpen clarity, ensuring the spirit of cricket evolves without losing its soul.
'I wanted a player of his calibre to take on one of the strongest sides in the country.' 'However, he stuck to his guns, and we had an argument.'
On the 134th birth anniversary of the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Utkarsh Mishra revisits three incidents from Dr B R Ambedkar's life that lay bare the deeply entrenched nature of caste prejudice.
'He is the best technically sound batsman I have seen till date and that too without a helmet.'
While that created a stir so did the decision on his penultimate day at work with the Supreme Court rechristening its summer vacation "partial court working days", an issue that has led to criticism that the apex court judges enjoyed long breaks.
...and say bye to the humanities-science divide, says Ajit Balakrishnan.
'We used to get Rs 250 for a Test match, and if the match was over in 4 days, 50 rupees were cut.'
'I remember walking up to him and telling him, "Sambhal ke khelna".'
One of India's finest batsman in the domestic circuit Amol Muzumdar on Thursday announced his retirement from all forms of the game ending an illustrious two-decade career that saw him captain the Mumbai team to a Ranji Trophy title in 2006-07.
'Ravi was very streetsmart, cricketsmart, so that made him more adaptable whenever situations changed or conditions changed.'
'I am not envious of those who are making millions. It's their era and I had my era.'
Jos Buttler talks acceptance of criticism, Test cricket frustration, and focus on upcoming 50-over World Cup.
An astute thinker of the game with copybook technique of the famed 'Bombay School of Batsmanship', Wadekar was more than just the captain, who led India to twin series victories in England and the West Indies in 1971.
Former India captain Kapil Dev says the iconic Sachin Tendulkar "did not know how to make double hundreds, triple hundreds and 400 though he had the ability" to scale such peaks and was "stuck in the Mumbai school of cricket".
To watch Dada standing on the steps of the airplane ladder with a glittering trophy in hand was exhilarating, recalls Hemant Kenkre.
'Indian cricket is in the safe hands of excitingly talented cricketers. No team can afford to underestimate India. If they do, it is to their peril.'
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
Former England captain Mike Gatting fell short of labelling India's Virat Kohli the greatest batsman of his generation for consistency across formats, on Thursday.
'My father was desperate that I played the game. So, to get away from those big piles of books, a cricket bat was a better option.'
His great grandfather played Test cricket for both England and India. His grandfather was arguably the most charismatic captain India has had.
What impressed me right up front was the patience he showed towards a rookie reporter.
The way Dilip came to the porch to receive Lata, you would never have guessed something was amiss between the two. Raju Bharatan's many wonderful insights into Dilip Kumar's life.
Blessed with a computer-like brain and an elephantine memory, Anandji Dossa was a pioneer in compiling cricket statistics and scores. Haresh Pandya pays tribute to the modest stats-man, who has passed into the ages.
The 25 odd witnesses that so far had given testimony had not come up with anything incriminating against Peter or the way Shivade characterised it -- "not even a whisper."
Sylvia Dyer's life began nearly 90 years ago in a forgotten, untamed land. She spent her childhood on a plantation on the Bihar-Nepal border in pre-Independent India, lived through the '65 war as the wife of a decorated army officer and saw an era grow and fade in front of her eyes.
'If fame, money and comfort are the only factors that drive us, then we are playing cricket for entirely the wrong reasons.'
There it lay, a photograph on the desk under a stapler, and later a stamp pad, forgotten, done with, like its subject, a Mumbai Metro One employee who vanished overnight.
Rediff.com reproduces the 1997 feature about Laxman, his passion for crows, and of course, his genius.
Henry Blofeld, who charmed the cricket world for more than 40 years, bids farewell to the microphone come September. Haresh Pandya salutes the Master.
Vikki Khanna and his family allow us to share the joys and the sorrow of these beautiful last moments, as they prepare to bid adieu to Lord Ganesha.
