His outswing, his determination
It was very special to have your childhood hero come to the nets and bowl with you
29-Mar-2008
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When I was small, Dennis Lillee and Malcolm Marshall were the two guys I used to look up to.
Dennis' determination was the first thing that inspired me: he played the game hard and was always competitive. He intimidated the batsmen without saying a lot verbally. And of course, he had the skill.
My grandmother lived in Australia when I was a youngster. She used to send over videotapes of the Kerry Packer thing [World Series Cricket]. That's when I started watching those one-day games. That's when I really got to see Dennis bowling, and immediately wanted to be like him. He bowled nice outswingers and legcutters. I liked that about him. my father bowled in a similar fashion, so I always wanted to be like Dennis.
On my first cricket tour to Australia, Dennis came and gave me a bit of bowling coaching in the nets. That was a big moment for me. I was only 20 years old, so that was very special - to have your childhood hero come to the nets and bowl with you.
As told to Sidharth Monga