HB: Sherry, let us start from the beginning. Tell us about your early
life.
NS: I was born in patiala on 29th October in 1969. My earliest memories
are
of my father telling me “Son, never be a Zerox”. So I always
believe in being original. I speak English like a native, a native
Indian
villager. My father was a lawyer by profession, who used to
gobble his rivals like sausages with his smart phrases. I used to watch
him
at court cross-examine witnesses and learnt the fine art of
commentary from him. All I do, is translate those phrases and proverbs
from
Hindi to English
HB: You made your debut in 1983 against the Windies, but made it
big-time
only four years later..
NS: My big break came in 1987 world cup, when I bamboozled and
mesmerized
allopposition, scoring four half-centuries in five innings.
HB: Just when you were all set for bigger things, you got involved in a
police case.
NS: Yes, it was the most unfortunate incident of my life. Punjab police
booked me and my close friend for culpable homicide. I was accused of
killing one Gurmit Singh. I am telling you I was innocent, as innocent
as a
freshly
laid egg.
HB: But you did beat up that guy?
NS: But then I am a Sikh, a born fighter, someone who will fight with a
rattlesnake and give him the first two bites. Believe me, that guy was
asking for it. How can you kill anyone who is hell-bent on committing
suicide?
HB: Do you regret that incident?
NS: Oh, yes Harsha I do, If only on that fateful day I had been able to
check my emotions, which flew like the fare in Indian Taxi - but ifs
and buts were pots and pans, there would be no tinkers After that my
cricket career went in downward spiral. I became like kumbhakarna - six
months in the team, then for another six months resting behind bars. My
fortunes were swinging like a rubber ball in a tidal wave. Earlier I
was traveling on a German autobahn, but now I was on an Indian road.
For
about five years I was in and out of the Indian cricket team, and
my performance became as erratic as electricity supply in most Indian
cities
HB: After Sunny’s retirement, you had several opening partners. Tell us
about your experiences with them.
NS: Yes, there were several. There was Srikanth, completely unorthodox.
The
gap between his bat and pad used to be so much that I would have
driven a car through it…and our fellow commentator Ravi, who was his
exact opposite, very slow like Indian three-wheeler which will suck a
lot of diesel but cannot go beyond 30.
HB: What would you regard as the high point of your career?
NS: ..when the Australians toured India with Shane warne. Along with
Sachin, I took Warne apart like a child tearing up the wrapping paper
from his birthday present! I made mincemeat of the mighty Aussies and
ate
them with Tomato sauce. I was on rampage, just like an Indian
elephant I trampled them like the elephant tramples the paddy fields.
HB: What is your opinion of current Indian team?
NS: Indian team’s performance is like current hindi movies, too many
flops
and too few hits. It is too dependent on Sachin, Dravid, Srinath
and Harbajan. Indian team without these four is like CHICKEN BIRYANI
without Chicken, Rice, Muttor, Biryani-Masala. It’s an empty plate.
you can not eat it nor throw it away. Our cricketers are very volatile
like
the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). You never know how they perform
on a given day. They are like bicycles in a cycle stand - one falls
down
and the complete row will be down!
HB: … and skipper Saurav?
NS: Saurav Ganguly is too open-minded. If you leave a soda bottle open
the
gas will vanish! You have to close it times. As a captain he sets a
bad example for his team by his poor fielding. He moves so slowly on
the
field like jack of jack n jill who goes to fetch pail of runs for the
opposition
HB: Sherry, you have made a dramatic comeback as a commentator. But
don’t
you feel embarrassed by the constant ridicule heaped on you for
your flowery style of commentary?
NS: You can take the tiger out of the jungle, but u can’t take the
jungle
out of the tiger. Why should I be embarrassed about it? In fact,
at present there are only two super stars in Indian cricket - the two
S’s -
Sachin & Sidhu. Let me tell you a secret. Star sports-ESPN need
me, as they can no longer rely on the performances of Indian cricket
team.
After Sachin gets out, they need someone to keep the viewers
entertained. That is why they are now bringing that Bakra-guy Cyrus to
commentate. I am telling you Harsha, your job is in danger, not mine.
Soon the focus will be less on the game, more on us. It is going to
become
Sidhu-Cyrus show. The world is all about mind and matter, I
don’t mind and you don’t matter
