Summary
Students travelled across Bengal to hear Ian Botham share stories on cricket, friendship, struggle and life beyond the sport.
Botham’s views on Test cricket and his work for children with leukaemia inspired young fans and educators at the lecture.
Calcutta: Arundhati Banerjee of Class X sat shyly inside GD Birla Sabhaghar — a little lost but excited.
The student of St John's Diocesan Girls' Higher Secondary School, a cricket fan, had ditched her phone, peers and personal time to come from Shibpur, Howrah, and hear cricket legend, an all-rounder and former England captain, Lord Ian Botham, talk about his life, experiences and journey post-cricket.
The event was the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture, a joint initiative by The Telegraph and The Bengal Club, presented by the Bhawanipur Global Campus and powered by Eden on Tuesday.
Sitting a little ahead was Saranya Ghosh of Class XI, Magnus Global School, who had come from Burdwan to hear Botham. For both — brought up on T20 cricket, quick thrills, short clips and Instagram reels — the attraction was the long-drawn
storytelling.
"I sat alone, surrounded by strangers, listening to a lecture and learning life lessons from a legend's stories of struggle and success. It was like going back in time," said Arundhati. When Botham spoke about his friendship with Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards, Arundhati felt a deep connection, despite the huge generation gap.
For Saranya and schoolmate Moumi Majhi of Class X, watching Botham and actor Saif Ali Khan on the same stage was thrilling.
"I have seen clips of Botham playing. Seen his interview. Watching him live, hearing about the struggles of his early years and work related to cancer, was an unbelievable experience," said Saranya.
When Botham said: "If you don't have Test cricket, you don't have cricket. The longer format tests all your faculties," Saranya cheered.
"Even in the era of IPL, I love Test matches. That's the real cricket. Hailing from a small town, I don't see many girls taking up the sport. Hearing an international player of Botham's stature has inspired me a lot," she added.
Her junior in school, Moumi, was as excited. "I did not expect Saif Ali Khan to join in. The evening was all about stories, with a delightful pinch of humour from a bygone era," she said.
From stories about Gavaskar's fear of dogs to Botham meeting Nelson Mandela, each one was noted with joy by the students. But what they appreciated the most was his work with children diagnosed with leukaemia. "His commitment is what we must learn from," said Moumi.
Educator Arnab Chanda, rector of Vivekananda Mission School, wished his students could attend the lecture that he enjoyed. "Sport teaches a lot of life lessons. My students could have learnt a lot from this lecture. Maybe we will organise similar lectures at our school," he said.
Last updated on 21 May 2026
