When Mohammed Azharuddin chooses Sachin Tendulkar's gold arm | Cricket News

KOLKATA: On a rainy Friday night, it was yesterday again at Eden Gardens. Two Caribbean superstars and a former Indian captain walked through the memories to relive the magical moments of the triumph of the Indian Heroes Cup.

Mohammed Azharuddin, the tournament's man, was joined by the Caribbean Prince, Brian Lara, and his teammate Carl Hooper, while they were taking the audience back in the past, recalling the thrills and excesses of the meeting restricted to five nations. organized by the Bengal Cricket Association (ACR) in 1993 to mark its Diamond Jubilee.

Sourav Ganguly, who views Eden as his spiritual homeland, and Rohit Sharma, who has not yet made a fuss since he debuted as a Test here in 2013, have joined the trio.

Friday's talk show also marked the tournament's silver jubilee – the first of its kind to be played in India with colorful clothes. It also marked 25 years of enlightened Eden Gardens, with the semifinals of the Hero Cup and the final between day and night.

Lara, who, like her great rival Sachin Tendulkar, preferred to open the baton to cricket, kicked off the ball in her own inimitable style. "It's one of my regrets that I never played a test match at the Eden Gardens, but I remember very well the Hero Cup final, I did not do a lot of races (33) and I was referred by Sachin ", Lara, who played 131 tests and 299 ODI, recalled.

Lara explained to her rivals at the time that she had lost her wicket by Sachin. "He was swinging a little white ball and I was beaten by a player in. In hindsight, I can say that I did not want to add to Anil Kumble's account." For the little story Kumble ran all the races in the West Indies, claiming six for 12 while the Caribbean – 226 for the win – were beaten for 123.

Hooper, whom Kumble had caught unawares with a straighter stalk, paid a rich tribute to Indian leggings. "He was a fantastic bowler, he was faster in the air, so there was no question of using your feet against him, he did not make much of the ball, but it was so precise that you had to play it with him. a right bat, "Hooper said.

"What I like the most about Kumble is that he was calm, skilled, respectful and yet very competitive in the middle," he added.

Azhar believed that the semi-final against South Africa was the highlight of India's campaign. While India defended a lean 195 in the spotlight, the Proteas took control at 130/5 before losing two quick wickets. But they recovered through a 44-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson.