The launch of Alan Wilkins’ book Easier Said Than Done (Roli Books; Rs 595) had got the sports broadcaster to the city recently. When t2 met him for a chat at The Park, we found the Welshman to be hassle-free, friendly and a “softie at heart”. Extracts...

You really look ageless...

My broadcasting started in 1984 but television started seriously around ’86-87. I have always done radio as well. I kind of look after myself. Although I have had quite a few injuries... knees are a bit sore now and my shoulders... I don’t go running any more but I walk for miles. I have a lovely dog at home — Leo, an American cocker spaniel who just turned five. Love him to bits and he is missing me... he’s got bags of energy. Susie, my wife, and I go into the forest… we live in Wales, so we’ve got the beaches and the coastlines.

Do you remember your first visit to Calcutta?

This was the very first city I ever visited in India. It was the Christmas and New Year of 1980-1981. It was a golden jubilee celebration match at the Cricket Association of Bengal — Board President’s XI vs an England Overseas XI, which I played for at Eden Gardens. It was a five-day game and our England team got beaten. I was a professional cricketer in those days with Gloucestershire but we had finished our cricket season and were all a bit rusty. The England captain at that time was Mike Brearley and he was captain of this team.

That was my very first entry to India and I stayed at the beautiful Oberoi Grand. I wanted to come back and see this country again. It stimulated a desire in me to go travelling. 

You have very varied interests…

I am a sponge for information. I am huge into saving wildlife. I applaud people like Kevin Pietersen who is involved with saving the rhino. We are killing rhinos here, in this country, it’s not just Africa. That’s very dear to my heart and we’d like to get more involved.

At the moment I am so very busy… not just writing the book but I follow current affairs, politics… I read about famous people. Social media is pretty good… you can follow trends, people and movements. I retweet a lot; I like to do it more from my laptop to not be a slave to the phone. But I love nothing more than my morning newspaper with my tea.

What was your first fanboy moment?

Viv (Richards)... one of the all-time greats... I had to pinch myself that I was on the same field as this fellow. (Alan got Viv for 85 in Cardiff, 1978). Getting Sunny Gavaskar out, getting Zaheer Abbas out twice in the same match, Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd… great moments. At the time you consider it as part of your job as a cricketer. Of course there is great thrill and enjoyment, but looking back and during the course of writing this book, it’s all coming back. Sunny Gavaskar is one of the all-time greatest players and we have become great friends. He pulls my leg and I his. I played against Sunny first time in 1979… 39 years ago… goodness me!

Cricket is like nothing else, because you spend such a long time with say 10-11-12 or 15 guys… in the field, in cars. You go to functions together, you are in the dressing room together, there is great camaraderie. Now, these days it’s so easy to reconnect. I was in Pakistan in March, in Zaheer Abbas’s beautiful house in Karachi. There was his library and his cricket regalia. Absolute goosebumps! We went to Wasim Akram’s house. I didn’t play against him but he is a dear friend through broadcasting. I caught up with Majid Khan. He was my first captain. We went around the old city of Lahore and Majid organised that. I had never been to Pakistan before.

Who gave you goosebumps in the commentary box?

Richie Benaud. Imagine, I was a young guy making his way in broadcasting! I would have been in my 30s and he was the doyen, the great Richie Benaud set the benchmarks. He was working for BBC and I was with BBC Wales. I didn’t do Test cricket with Richie; we did domestic cricket in England and I was called up to sit next to the great man. I was nervous because you wonder about what you are going to say... he was an absolutely wonderful human being.

In later years, working with Tony Greig… I have played against him many times and also against his brother Ian Greig who lives in Australia. Ian Chappell… I first met him properly in 2007 on an Indian cricket tour to England and we have become good pals. There was Bill McLaren, doyen of rugby commentary.

I got to know different people in different sports. You get used to the terminology, how the sport works. I have been very lucky over the years to have the chance to be open to all these sports and have access to them. I did cricket, tennis, football to start with, then gradually the workload became so much because I was doing rugby, golf, MotoGP and Formula 1. It was too much, so I concentrated on cricket, tennis, golf and rugby. In fact, now it’s cricket and rugby. 

That’s the order of your love?

I think cricket would be the one because I played it, but I loved going to Augusta (golf) to cover the Masters, did seven consecutive years. The central part of my career has encapsulated three of the greatest athletes in sports at the same time — Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. And the initials come to SRT… Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar! Work ethic, temperament... all three. Sachin had an innate ability... his longevity. Look at Tiger… he’s had a horrific back surgery but he’s back. Roger Federer moves like a cat, with stealth and such ease and grace.

The best we’ll see in our lifetime?

I think so. It will be hard to match them, but the baton always gets handed down. Sachin’s finished… now Virat (Kohli). He is made of steel. He has introduced a new level of fitness, athleticism and dedication to Indian cricket. I see burning ambition in his eyes. (Ravindra) Jadeja was in that U-19 team. They are nice guys... unassuming and supremely talented. M.S. Dhoni’s a different character. It’s like a great relay race.

Tiger’s making his way back. Roger Federer, well, I am his biggest fan I think. When he gives up, it’ll be a very sad day…. Serena and Venus (Williams)… that’s one of the great stories of all time… from the wrong side of the tracks in a city that doesn’t play tennis.

Who are the pranksters in the commentary box?

Sunny is mischievous and dry. He will put on accent and talk like a Mumbaikar. He is fantastic at impersonations. Harsha (Bhogle) is also mischievous and witty. Ravi Shastri likes to tease someone up and see how they react.

Navjot Singh Sidhu had his moments… crazy man. He can be very irritating and I am sure I was irritating for him too! He’ll ignore me and I’ll leave him simmering, like a kettle. We had quite a few disagreements but there was no bigger embrace… in a day or two he would come back and say, ‘Shree Wilkins, talk!’ I love that about him.

What were your most emotional moments as a commentator?

We got caught up in 9/11 (2001)… the Singapore-based ESPN STAR Sports crew. We were stuck for a week and couldn’t get out of New York. A year later we were doing the US Open men’s finals between (Pete) Sampras and (Andre) Agassi in Flushing Meadows, New York. Beautiful evening and the US Coast Guard brought in the flag that had been retrieved from the World Trade Center… torn, tattered, burnt. They unfurled it on the court and they also let go dozens of white doves for peace. I looked at Vijay (Amritraj) and tears were streaming down his face and the anthem was playing. It didn’t need words.

Then Brett Lee on his haunches after losing The Ashes series in England in 2005 and Andrew Flintoff (comforting him)… those are moments when you cannot help but feel emotional.

Sachin’s last Test… oh that was one of Harsha’s finest hours because he described the lap of honour… I don’t think many people could have done that. Ian Bishop was sitting next to him and he did the right thing… he just put his mic down, sat back and listened to Harsha describe Sachin walking around the Wankhede Stadium. I was on air when Sachin got out for the last time (becomes emotional). It was an emotional moment but it was a moment in time when everything just stood still and you went on… that’s it.