Tepid endings and glorious beginnings: Vijay Lokapally remembers India tour of England in 1996

In this episode, we chat with the veteran cricket writer Vijay Lokapally on India’s 1996 tour to England.

Vijay relives the incandescent innings and spells he witnessed through the tour – both in the Tests as well as the tour games. He also gives us a detailed recap of Navjot Sidhu quitting the tour and remembers a special interview he did with Sachin Tendulkar.

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Talking Points:

India playing a Test series after more than seven months of one-day cricket
The focus on Mohammad Azharuddin – for cricketing and non-cricketing reasons
Vikram Rathour’s string of runs in the tour games – and his reputation in domestic cricket
Javagal Srinath confronting a strange autograph seeker
The Navjot Sidhu fiasco – and Vijay’s role in the series of events
Tendulkar’s symphony in the Edgbaston wreckage
Devon Malcolm’s fan-boy moment after Derbyshire’s game v the Indians
Sourav Ganguly’s take-that moment at Lord’s – and the pristine strokeplay
Rahul Dravid’s immaculate technique – as well as his love for books
Venkatesh Prasad’s break-out tour
Sandeep Patil’s challenges on his first assignment as team manager
The captaincy changing hands at the end of the tour
The players who faded away at the end of the series