Lara's Love for Cricket: From Eden to the World Cup

Ten years prior, Brian Lara was going up against an empty Eden, where the West Indies had been destroyed by an innings and fifty-one runs in three days, rather than the strength of a bowler. In his farewell match at Eden Gardens, Lara was supposed to congratulate Sachin Tendulkar, but the game ended before he could get to Calcutta.

Lara, for his part, accepted it all, stating that he would hopefully get to witness Tendulkar bat for the final time during the Mumbai Test, which would run for five days. The two had grown to be great friends.

Thus, when the image of the Brian Lara-Sachin Tendulkar Gates at the Sydney Cricket Ground appeared on the screen during his speech at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture, which was organized jointly by The Bengal Club and The Telegraph, at the Oberoi Grand on Thursday, Lara seemed incredibly happy.

The next time I visit the SCG, where I have witnessed numerous matches, especially the 1978 Test (in which Bob Simpson and Birsan Singh Bedi were the respective captains), which India won by an innings and two runs, I hope to see these gates. After the Sydney Test, the five-match series was tied at two all, and our spinning combination consisted of the fantastic Chandra, Bedi, and Pras.

Let's take a look inside the book Portraits of the Game, written by my late husband, the seasoned journalist and cricket commentator Kishore Bhimani, which tells the tales of sixty of the greatest one-day cricket players in the world. Kishore Bhimani was commissioned by Shyam Bhatia, the seasoned businessman from Dubai who is passionate about cricket, to write this book. Bhimani gathered anecdotes from the best cricketing nations' players. A difficult task, but I kept KB company while he traveled and managed to extract the best game statistics for each player. Richie Ryall, a wicketkeeper from Cape Town, illustrated each picture in watercolor. I didn't think to bring the book to the Oberoi Grand with me on Thursday night, but Lara can view the original watercolor of himself and get a copy the next time he visits Bhatia's cricket museum.

In the book, Lara begins his story to Kishore Bhimani in a humble manner by saying:

A cricket player experiences ups and downs in form; at times, everything goes well for him, and at other times, he is dismissed due to one unplayable delivery or a horribly bad call. Everything is a component of

the match.

He does, however, proceed to have a memorable 1993–1994 season, during which he surpassed all other run scorers in both Test and first-class matches. In ODIs against Pakistan, he also achieved his then-highest score of 153 off 143 balls and 21 fours. Let's fast-forward to when Lara is talking excitedly about the upcoming World Cup in 2024, where she is looking forward to winning and the West Indies being co-hosts!

Let's go back to Kishore Bhimani's second book, India's Caribbean Adventure. Recall 1976. During India's tour of the West Indies, a great deal happened. When was Brian Lara's age? At the age of seven, he was barely growing teeth at the weekly coaching sessions at the posh-sounding Harvard Coaching Clinic, where he was forced to attend by his father. The second and third Tests were played at Queen's Park Oval, a very picturesque location. In the second Test, which ended in a draw for the Indians, both Andy Roberts and Michael "Whispering Death" Holding participated. India won the third Test, which Roberts missed. To win, they surpassed the previous record with 406 runs in the fourth inning. And many moons later, in addition to Tarouba's Brian Lara Stadium, a sizable sports complex, the Brian Lara Pavilion was to be built. which might serve as a World Cup venue.

Rewind to Lara's birthplace. In 1976, a young Lara would have been delighted to receive a dispatch from Kishore Bhimani. Spain's Port on March 21. In Trinidad, cricket is a religion, whereas in Barbados it is a passionate obsession. The Trinidadian is genuinely nonpartisan, and his only vice is playing good cricket. (On March 24, 1976, the second test got underway.)

A rerun of KB's commentary on Radio 610 in Trinidad would have delighted Lara as well, as many listeners would have recognized the tones and referred to Bhimani as "The Voice Maan."

We therefore look forward to some calypso cricket next year, Brian Lara, Prince of Port of Spain.

The author is a public relations specialist with experience writing cricket columns. She left the West Indies to be covered by her spouse and traveled to Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.