Gentle. Relaxed. Calm. Adjectives that don’t quite sit with a fast bowler. Well, Courtney Walsh is exactly that! One of the most feared fast bowlers of his time with 519 wickets in his Test kitty. The Jamaican great was in town to deliver the Air India Ltd. presents Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture — a joint initiative by Bengal Club &
The Telegraph in association with The Oberoi Grand driven by Jeep, on February 28, at The Oberoi Grand. In between signing autographs and clicking pictures with the guests at a high tea at The Oberoi Grand, ahead of the annual lecture, he sat down with t2 for a chat…
Tiger Pataudi was…
A leader. Someone I looked up to.
Calcutta looks like a bigger city… looking a lot more alive...
It’s been a long time. I came here last with the Sri Lanka team… but not to Calcutta… I have not been to Calcutta in nearly 15 years. I was here in my playing days.
I want to go back to Eden Gardens…
The memories are very good. I hear it is much better now…. I saw the lights on last night… I was tempted to go! Back in the days, it was really a spectacular ground to play at. I didn’t like the wicket as a bowler because it was flat, but the atmosphere in the stadium was very good.
The fiercest bowlers in my time…
Well, they were all in my team… Curtly Ambrose, Micheal Holding, Malcolm Marshall. In the later stages, there was Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar from other teams… Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis.
They were people who I looked up to when I was a youngster…
Imran Khan, Dennis Lillee, Bob Willis… to just name a few. All the guys in the West Indies team back in those days… Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft.
Things that make a fast bowler complete…
Strong legs, strong back, strong shoulders. You’ve got to be fit and skilful; you need stamina, strength and skill.
A music fave…
Bob Marley.
“The Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture was a memorable tribute to one of the legends of India’s cricketing pantheon and a peek into the bygone era of the gentleman’s game. Courtney Walsh’s entertaining anecdotes of historic cricketing moments captivated the audience. A wonderful evening for fans. We are happy that Air India had the privilege of presenting this event,” said Madhu C Mathen, general manager, sales & marketing, Air India.
Pop picks
The Oberoi Grand.
Text: Saionee Chakraborty
High tea pictures: Rashbehari Das
