A Thursday with Farokh Engineer: Of BBQ, Sachin Tendulkar's Old Trafford hundred and the wait for Sunil Gavaskar

TimesofIndia.com in Manchester: A game of club cricket, overcast grey sky and the legendary Farokh Engineer watching it from the tiny pavilion. The setting couldn't have been any better as Farokh was in august company of former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar and some of his very old friends who lived nearby. The former India teammates sat on the bench and had a close eye on action even when they exchanged greetings. "Shot," exclaimed Engineer when one of Vengsarkar's trainees hit one straight over the bowler's head.

More than cricket, it was an occasion for Engineer, who lives close to the Urmston Sports Club, to come and meet his old friends. A familiar "Yakub bhai" made an appearance midway through our conversation and Engineer had a surprise for him. A small bat with autographs of Sachin Tendulkar, Jasprit Bumrah and some other prominent cricketers. "I was at the Lord's... met Sachin, his wife Anjali when the portrait was unveiled. What a lovely family," says Engineer.



When asked more on his interactions with Tendulkar over the years, Engineer narrated a lovely story which goes back to 1990 when Mohammad Azharuddin-led India arrived here for the second Test. The former India stumper organised a barbecue for the visitors and still vividly remembers how Tendulkar sat on the swing with his two daughters.

"Before he got his first 100, we had an impromptu barbecue at my house. All the players and commentators were there. There was a swing in the back garden. Sachin was sitting there with my two young daughters and his legs were dangling in the air. They wouldn't even touch the ground. I was joking with him the other day. Still he hasn't grown much taller (laughs). What a phenomenal cricketer and a phenomenal human being he is. He got the 100... It was a proud moment for Indian cricket," recalls Engineer.

Times have changed now and while the Indian cricket team will soon touch down in Manchester, there will be no impromptu grills. Engineer is looking forward to meeting his old friend Sunil Gavaskar, who fondly calls him Dikra, but gone are the days when the visitors would spend a quality night at Engineer's. He insists that his house is not only open for any Indian cricketer but any Indian. He is settled here comfortably but the "desi" heart continues to miss India, and continues to miss home.

"Well, those days are gone when players used to come to houses and all that. You know, I don't even know who the manager is these days. But my house is always open to any Indian cricketer or any Indian person. Yeah. You know, because I miss India - big time. Yeah. I am desi at heart, absolutely. Although I have lived in England all these years. But there is no fierce ambassador for India. Yeah. If someone speaks ill of me, I don't hold back," says Engineer.



He continues to chat cricket and a lot of other things with his good friend Dilip, who is travelling with his academy's team, and the wit, humour and epic one-liners continue to be well-timed. Just when the conversation was coming to an end, he assured his companion that he would be done in five minutes but little did they know the one-liners were only warming up.

For a man who lived cricket, it is difficult to get away from it - even at the age of 87. It, however, is now a social occasion to come, watch and meet friends over cricket. His eyes still light up when he remembers the days spent with "rockstar" Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Mick Jagger at Lord's, and is looking forward to running into more familiar faces at Old Trafford next week.


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