Former British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was present at the Hindustan Times Leadership summit, was at his witty best when he said that England might want to kidnap Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar to train the team, who so far had the torrid time in the ongoing Test series against Virat Kohli led side.
We haven’t expected such a big joke from the former veteran leader whose countrymen are going through the difficult phase off the season this time around on the subcontinent pitches.
“Given the way the Test series (between the two countries) is going… we need to kidnap him (Tendulkar) for training,” David Cameron said while being applauded by the jam-packed audience in the auditorium.
Excited Cameron has also mentioned about the mutual love for the “beautiful game of cricket” and “modern partnership” based on the job openings and the healthy investments between the two countries [the United Kingdom and India] for the well-being of both the nations in particular.
“Every time I come to India, I am blown away by the progress and the potential that I see,” Cameron added.
Tendulkar, who was also at the HT Leadership summit, focused on the future of Test cricket before sharing his thoughts on current Indian team including the structure of domestic cricket, alongside Indian coach Anil Kumble.
“Test cricket is not dying. It’s about the big rivalries. There was a time when everyone wanted to beat West Indies. Then came Australia. These rivalries are dying,” Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar didn’t shy away from speaking about the on-field memories and the battle with veteran bowler Glenn McGrath from Australia.
“The battle against McGrath was great. We fought on the field, but off it, we were great friends,” he said.
One of the innovative suggestions had come from Tendulkar, saying we can play single Ranji Trophy game with two different balls on two different pitches.
After praising the cricket governing body BCCI, for doing enough for the game in India itself, the little master also revealed during the summit that Hansie Cronje was the most toughest bowler, bagging all the tricks he had ever faced in his career.
The summit was organised where different leaders across the globe gather to discuss ideas about India for its betterment as a society in large.
Meanwhile, England is going down in the 5-match Test series by 0-2 (including a drawn game) with two more matches to be played.