For students of the Scindia School here, it was a dream come true. On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia took the Indian and Pakistani cricketers to the school to interact with students.
Shoaib Akhtar, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, S Sreesanth, Robin Uthappa, RP Singh, along with India manager Lalchand Rajput and commentator Rameez Raja, visited the school and Gwalior Fort.
Shoaib was easily the most sought after of the players and he responded to questions with warmth and flair. Asked how he felt when a 150km delivery went awry or was driven to the boundary, he replied, “My intention is not to bowl every ball fast. But, whenever a batsman dispatches my deliveries to the boundary, it frustrates me.”
Another student, Aniruddh, probed the Pakistan fast bowler on the secret behind his “muscles”. Shoaib laughed and said it was just exercise and diet, nothing out of the ordinary.
This was the first time that players of both teams visited an educational institution together. Students of Scindia Girls’ School also met the players. One asked Sreesanth what he thought were the strengths of the Indian team. “We are good in every aspect,” he said, adding that Sachin was the most outstanding of the lot.
Then, it was RP’s turn to field questions. “What is your reaction when you lose a match?” asked a girl. “It is disappointing to lose, but we always prepare ourselves for the next match,” was RP’s reply. Rameez appreciated the facilities provided to the students.
{{/usCountry}}Then, it was RP’s turn to field questions. “What is your reaction when you lose a match?” asked a girl. “It is disappointing to lose, but we always prepare ourselves for the next match,” was RP’s reply. Rameez appreciated the facilities provided to the students.
{{/usCountry}}Scindia too asked a few questions and presented the players with copies of the book The Fort Pupil. Later, Shoaib, RP and Sreesanth gave cricketing tips to the students.