Virat Kohli’s First Day In The Dressing Room
It is widely known that Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were two of the most notorious pranksters in the Indian dressing room. So, when Virat Kohli was getting ready for his debut, trying to control his nerves but failing miserably, Yuvraj and Harbhajan told him to touch Sachin’s feet stressing that earning his blessings before the debut was a norm for all the newbies in the team. Funnily enough, Virat Kohli went ahead and Sachin later informed him than he had been pranked by the prank-masters of the team.
Sehwag & John Wright
This happened during the 2002 Natwest Trophy.
John Wright was incredibly frustrated at Virender Sehwag. Sehwag was in top form, playing great shots and scoring runs at ease. At the same time he was getting out playing extremely silly shots.
So once John Wright was discussing with Rahul Dravid and he said, "If that guy gets out to one more bad shot I'm going to really have a go at him.".
And Sehwag in his trademark style got out playing a silly shot in the next match. John Wright true to his word, grabbed Sehwag's collar and blasted him.
Fortunately neither Sehwag nor the team made a big deal out of this and everything was forgotten.
Dravid actually appreciated Wright's behavior saying this incident showed just how badly he wanted us to do well.
This incident improved Sehwag's relationship with John Wright.
Prank on
Dada
It was
business as usual in Kochi in 2005. With his routine swagger, Ganguly walked
into the team meeting before the opener against traditional rivals Pakistan.
The players were already present when he got there. He failed to note the
pre-planned buzz that quickly turned into pin-drop silence upon his entrance .
Everything seemed normal, just like he thought the meeting would be. Little did
he know that he would get the shock of his life moments later.
As was the norm, strategies and tactics were discussed, but Dada was aghast when the players showed him a newspaper (fabricated overnight) where he had made some comments against his team’s players. Still unable to fathom what on earth was cooking, he looked on as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag gave a sheet of paper to the team manager, Wing Commander M Baladitya, and one to Sourav himself.
“We arranged a printout of an imaginary interview of Sourav, where he’d been critical of his players. When that was shown to him, he pleaded he had not given any such interview." recalls prank mastermind Yuvraj Singh.
Sourav went from player to player, claiming innocence. To make matters worse, the sheet of paper given to the team manager was read out.
Dada's face lost colour when the team, as one, had spelled out their reservations against him and his style of captaincy. "I almost had tears in my eyes," recalled the former skipper. "These were the same players I had always fought for. I didn't know why they were suddenly saying all these things," he added. He looked pleadingly for some support but it was just not there. He was all alone in this battle.
Sourav, in desperation, offered to resign from captaincy and promised he had never made such statements, after seeing the Turbanator Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra storm out of the dressing room.
On the verge of his breaking point, Sourav just could not take it anymore. Rahul Dravid (who else) could not bear to see his captain like this and told him it was an April fool's prank.
“Dada picked up a bat and chased all of us out of the dressing room” said Yuvraj, unable to control his laughter.
"I was more relieved than embarrassed," Ganguly said, years later. Incidentally, he was given another sheet of paper signed by all. He could barely find the courage to read, but when he did, it warmed his heart. It simply read: "Dada, we all love you." The captain promptly hugged each one of his boys, but gave them a stern warning, never to do the same again.
Gavaskar & Engineer
Sunil
Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer were selected to play for the Rest of the World
team in 1971. Farokh being the senior guy told Gavaskar to take it easy,
advising:
‘Don’t get
out for a duck as the walk back to the pavilion is the longest you will ever
experience here in Melbourne.’
Call it
irony or fate, Engineer himself got out for a duck and Gavaskar had the last
laugh!
Dhoni & Yuvi
When Dhoni
joined the Indian cricket team, Yuvraj would often tease him by calling him a
‘Bihari’. Yuvraj would also tell him that hitting big sixes was not a big deal,
winning matches for India is what makes a player great.
Guess Dhoni
took Yuvraj’s advice seriously going by the number of matches Dhoni won for
team India single handedly.
Sunil Gavaskar - A Fisherman !!
Sunil Gavaskar might have ended up catching fish rather than scoring
runs but for a sharp-eyed relative. After he was born, a nurse accidentally
placed him next to a fisherwoman. No one noticed the change but one of
Gavaskar’s uncles had noticed a birthmark near his ear and when he did not see
it in the other child, he brought the matter to the notice of the hospital and
baby Sunil was duly returned to his parents.
The Great
Sir Vivian Richards
It was a
county match in England between Somerset and Glamorgan. An unknown batsman with
unknown talent, named Vivian Richards was at the crease. Greg Thomas, the
Glamorgan fast bowler thundered in and beat the great man's bat.
'It's red
and it's round. Can't you see it?', the bowler taunted Richards.
The next
ball was an action replay. The ball pitched three quarters of length on middle
and off, seamed away, and once again Richards was all at sea and
comprehensively beaten.
'It's red
and it's round and it weighs four-and-a-half ounces. Can't you see it?', Greg
Thomas quipped.
Richards
took a stroll, summoned his powers of concentration, swung his arms around,
took a fresh guard and got ready for the next ball.
Greg Thomas
came running in. The delivery was right in the slot, and Viv launched into one
of his trademark shots and smashed the ball out of the ground and straight into
the river that flowed around it.
The maestro
told the hapless bowler who almost died watching the ball go, 'You know what it
looks like... now go and get it!'
Hilarious and Funny Cricketing
One-Liners
·
Dennis Lillee once commented that the arrogant natured Yorkshireman
Geoff Boycott was, 'The only fellow I've met who fell in love with himself at
an early age and has remained faithful ever since.'
·
The "Father of Cricket" WG Grace was once bowled first ball in
an exhibition match. 'They have come to watch me bat, not you bowl,' he said,
before replacing the bails and resuming his innings.
·
Daryll Cullinan was on his way to the wicket, Shane Warne remarked that
he had been waiting 2 years for another chance to humiliate him.
'Looks like you spent it eating,' Cullinan retorted.
Sledging
During the 1991 Adelaide Test,
Javed Miandad commented that Merv Hughes looked like a fat bus conductor.
Big Merv dismissed the Pakistani
soon after, allegedly running past the batsman yelling, 'Tickets please!'
GAVASKAR….START
FROM SCRATCH….ALWAYS
To ease the pressure on himself, Sunil Gavaskar had
decided to come lower down the order and bat at No 4 for that particular match.
But, Malcolm Marshall fired out Anshuman Gaekwad and Dilip Vengsarkar for
ducks, setting the stage for Gavaskar to walk in at 0/2. Viv Richards said “Man,
it don’t matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero.”
LEN HUTTON AND
SATISFACTION
Len Hutton scored 364 and Engalnd won the oval test
against Australia 1938. As Hutton and Leyland were waiting at a red light, a
lady stepped up and congratulated him. She said ” Well done Len, but couldn’t
you have scored 1 more for all days in a year”. After she left, Hutton remarked
” Maurice, Can you ever satisfy a woman, whatever you do ?”.
Malcolm Marshall & David Boon.
Malcolm Marshall was bowling to David Boon, who was having a bit of trouble against the fast bowler and had played and missed a few times. Marshall : "Now David, are you going to get out or am I going to have to come round the wicket and kill you?".
Malcolm Marshall was bowling to David Boon, who was having a bit of trouble against the fast bowler and had played and missed a few times. Marshall : "Now David, are you going to get out or am I going to have to come round the wicket and kill you?".
Ian Healy & Arjuna Ranatunga.
The Australians were getting frustrated while trying to get the wicket of the portly Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka. Various tactics were tried and failed until Healy came up with a winner: "Put a Mars Bar on a good length and that should do it!".
During a One-dayer between Australia and Sri Lanka Ranatunga decided he needed a runner. The stump microphone then picked up the following sledge from Healy: "You don't get a runner for being bloody overweight'.
Fred Trueman.
An Australian batsman was walking onto the field, opened the gate and before he could shut it, Trueman remarked: "Don't bother shutting it, son, you won't be there long enough".
An Australian batsman was walking onto the field, opened the gate and before he could shut it, Trueman remarked: "Don't bother shutting it, son, you won't be there long enough".
Merv Hughes & Robin Smith.
Merv was bowling a few crackers that Smith couldn't even get an edge to. Merv: "If you turn the bat over you'll get the instructions mate".
Merv was bowling a few crackers that Smith couldn't even get an edge to. Merv: "If you turn the bat over you'll get the instructions mate".
