They have a cumulative experience of 48 years of playing cricket at the highest level. Yet, when you meet Jonty Rhodes, Dale Steyn and Aaron Finch, you can’t help but notice how easy-going they are. t2oS caught up with the awesome trio at Bud & Burgers activation, in Colombo, a Budweiser India initiative, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India vs Pakistan match on February 15. Excerpts.
What are your memories of your playing days in India, especially Calcutta?
Aaron Finch: Well, I made my IPL debut in Calcutta in IPL 3, playing for the Rajasthan Royals under the late, great Shane Warne. So that’s an amazing memory. It’s just a brilliant place to play. You feel the energy of the fans. Even when they’re supporting India, you feel the energy. It’s remarkable when you can almost hear a deathly silence, when you start to get on top, it’s something really special. But overall, it’s just a brilliant place to play.
Jonty Rhodes: I mean, when I first went to Calcutta in the early ‘90s, there weren’t designated seats per person. And the one thing that I do miss from that sort of era was having people literally packed into the stadium where there was not room for another soul. And even if it meant (Mohammad) Azharuddin was scoring 100 in a Test match, crowds were absolutely going berserk.
So, yeah, there’s a real love for the game in Calcutta and Eden Gardens is a special place to play in any kind of contest, whether it’s at IPL, whether it’s ICC events, or an international bilateral series. It’s a really special place, with a very knowledgeable crowd.
Have you carried anything back home?
Rhodes: No, I don’t carry anything back home other than just great memories. I think the difficulty for us cricket players is that you fly, you land, you get straight in. So, you don’t have enough time. So, I think just from a point of view where people are so passionate about the game, throughout India, but especially in Calcutta, it’s amazing to be a part of an environment that really knows the game of cricket.
Jonty, you have a home in Goa, and you have a daughter called India. What made you fall in love with India?
Rhodes: In South Africa, I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s. So, in the Apartheid era, South Africa. And that was a political system that segregated people according to race and ethnicity. And so, I had no diversity in my community, no diversity in my schools. People talk about diversity in India from state to state. But within the state... I live in the South of Goa, and in the North, there are differences in the way they cook the food. And that sort of diversity, I’ve realised that the more I learn about other people, the more I learn about myself.
And India’s such an incredible opportunity to grow if you’re prepared to open your eyes and just experience people. So, a lot of my friends and coaches and colleagues, they fly over India. But living in India, being on the ground, it’s just such an incredible experience for me to grow as a human. And I think that’s kind of my goal. You’re never the finished product. You can always learn lessons. And India’s a great teacher for me.
Do you miss your playing days?
Finch: Not really.
Not your mates, also?
Finch: That’s the one part that I do miss, the dressing room, the camaraderie, but I don’t miss walking out and marking centre and getting that feeling in your chest when you’re expected to go out and score runs.Dale Steyn: I think I miss the dressing room, friends and hanging out with them. It’s incredible that when you go home, you realise that you don’t get to hang out with them as much anymore. It’s a very busy schedule. Just to try and organise Marco Jansen to go fishing with me is near impossible now!
Aaron Finch with his daughter Esther
Was retirement a difficult decision?
Steyn: Not as difficult as one would think, no. I called it. I was fishing with my best friend, and I just said to him, I’m done, you know. Being a professional cricketer, especially a bowler, requires a lot. Especially a fast bowler, you know. Maybe a spinner, they can play on forever. Physically, they can still maintain the same speed, but for me, my biggest weapon was pace. And as you get older, obviously, your pace will drop. So, at some point in time, you have to know, my weapon is done.
Dale, you love fishing…
Steyn: It’s my favourite thing to do. I’ve always loved fishing. If I weren’t a cricketer, I would have been a fisherman, for sure. Life is good. I have an eight-month-old son. I do a little bit of commentary, so I stay busy. And I’m still involved in the game in some way.
What did cricket teach you?
Steyn: I think it’s just a good metaphor for life. You probably lose more than you win in cricket, as you do in life. Nothing comes easy. You have to work for it. Sometimes it works in partnerships. I was a bowler; I had to bowl with the bowler on the other side. I’ve now got a wife, a partner. We have to work together to raise a child.
How much has cricket changed or is evolving with the times?
Finch: It’s changing all the time. It is always changing. I think with each and every generation, the game improves. It’s just different. The players are fitter, stronger.
A favourite era of yours in cricket?
Finch: The late ‘90s, early ‘2000s, particularly that Australian team. They were so dominant. They were amazing, just how dominant they were, but also how hard they worked as well. Again, that’s a part of my childhood that you remember, where you were there for certain matches. It was awesome.
Finally, who are the athletes, globally, who have mesmerised you with how they’ve kept going and going?
Rhodes: I really don’t have a favourite athlete. I mean, I grew up hero-worshipping Pele, which, I mean, the irony was he was Brazilian, but a Black man. And in South Africa, where you weren’t allowed to have black friends or people in your community, so that was just the irony for me. And he was a guy who just stood out head and shoulders. So, I don’t look at people now and go, wow, that’s an inspiration. I’m hoping to be an inspiration to my family, to my kids. I’m not worried about what other people are doing because I just want to focus on being a good dad, a good husband, and somebody who’s in a good space. And so far, that’s working!