India toured England in 1986. “The players’ behavior, especially while travelling across the British Isles, caught my attention. We had a permanent luxury coach at our disposal.” —Mohinder Amarnath, “Fearless: A Memoir”
On most occasions, I noticed Maninder Singh and Kapil engrossed in a game of chess, while Chetan Sharma watched them intently. Sunil Gavaskar was an avid reader, enjoying a book till he dozed off. For a change, Srikkanth, the most fidgety of all the players, was content, sleeping through the journey. Raman Lamba and Manoj Prabhakar enjoyed each other’s company, and the Bombay boys felt at home amongst themselves—speaking Marathi, cracking jokes, and laughing.
Ravi Shastri loved listening to music and was lost in his own world. Sandeep Patil kept us entertained with his jokes and anecdotes. Roger Binny kept mostly to himself but would occasionally smile and exchange a few words. Many times, we watched movies, till Sandeep Patil recommended a Hindi movie, Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein, which had us in splits. The acting of Dada Kondke was outstanding.
This team was indeed a group of happy cricketers!
