Tendulkar fan, Jayasuriya’s blasts, and Chakravarthy’s silver screen dreams

By K.R. Nayar
From Dubai International Stadium

Sachin Tendulkar fan Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, also known as Sudhir Gautam, is always the star attraction among the spectators. Having met him at different venues around the world, he recognised this reporter easily. Experience has taught him how to pose for a photograph, and he was seen suggesting to people how to get a good selfie. Earlier he used to paint himself from head to toe in the tricolour, but this time he was wearing a tight-fitting dress resembling full-body paint. There was a time he used to paint his body on the previous day of a match and skip sleep that night to ensure the paint remained intact. Had he attempted to paint his body for this tournament, the sweat from the heat and humidity would have staged a full-on rebellion against the paint.

 

Tendulkar fan with yours sincerely 

When this reporter had met him at Kensington Oval in Barbados during the 2024 T20 World Cup, he showed me how he folds the huge Indian flag, which was twice his size, with military precision. During the 2023 World Cup, he had a replica of the World Cup on his head. Every summer, he makes a pilgrimage to Tendulkar’s Mumbai home, carrying a box of Muzaffarpur litchis from his home town in Bihar  —a gesture sweeter than the fruit itself.

 

Tendulkar fan demonstrates on how to fold the huge India flag with military precision in Barbados. Photo: K.R. Nayar 

Jayasuriya and his knock of 189 in Sharjah

 

Sri Lanka’s head coach Sanath Jayasuriya’s presence itself is an inspiration for everyone. This reporter has covered almost all his great knocks, especially in Sharjah. So I was very touched when, after the India-Sri Lanka match post the match press conference, he came down the stage,  shook hands, and introduced me to the Sri Lankan journalists as someone who has reported most of his good knocks. 

Jayasuriya with yours sincerely after the India-Sri Lanka press conference

His knock of 189 against India in the 2000 Coca Cola Champions Trophy in Sharjah was a stupendous exhibition of how to destroy a bowling attack in an ODI match. India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar was one of the bowlers who bowled to him in that knock and was hit for 67 runs in 10 overs. 

 

Chakravarthy’s love for movies

 

India’s leg-spin bowler Varun Chakravarthy relaxes off the field by watching movies. He loves films so much that his second innings is likely to be in the film world. He has already acted in a Tamil movie, Jeeva, as a club cricketer. He even has a tattoo of Tamil film actor Thalapathy Vijay on his left shoulder. When Malayalam film actor Nandalal, who is here as a chief guest for an Onam Celebration event, expressed a desire to meet Chakravarthy, he immediately invited him to his hotel. 

Nandalal with Varun Chakavarthy at the Team India Hotel. Photo courtesy: Nandalal

  
Despite the India-Bangladesh match finishing late on Wednesday, Chakravarthy met Nandalal and talked more about films than cricket. Interestingly, Chakravarthy is a hero in Karnataka, Tamil, and Kerala. He was born in Bidar, Karnataka. His father is half Tamilian and his mother is half Keralite, and he grew up in Adyar, Chennai. Incidentally, Chakravarthy’s childhood coach is S. Vincent, the Dubai-based Head coach of Dunes Cricket Academy.

 

Mr Google is Pakistan’s wicketkeeper

 

UAE used to be Pakistan’s home ground when international teams refused to play in Pakistan due to security reasons. This resulted in even the Pakistan Super League being held here, and this reporter  got the opportunity to interact with many of them and inquire about their early days. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris was born in Mushtarzai, a small village near Peshawar, but he was ambitious and studious. He earned the nickname Mr Google as his Under-19 teammates found him always sharpening his knowledge by searching for facts on Google. As a boy, he used to watch almost every match on television,  and he has even done commentary at some time.

 

Food and Indian cricketers

 

Dubai has the best restaurants from all over the world. Before the first India-Pakistan match of this Asia Cup, Kuldeep Yadav, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Kumar visited the popular Raju Omlet restaurant here. Players often sacrifice their favourite dishes to maintain top fitness. Shubman Gill loves butter chicken and parathas but avoids them during tours and prefers grilled fish. Jasprit Bumrah loves pizzas, burgers, and milkshakes but avoids all of them during matches. He once remarked that he eats chicken biryani as a cheat meal. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav loves cooking, and he prepares lamb biryani but revealed that he does it only on a cheat day.