It was a sports fan’s delight as Lothar Matthaus, Michael Johnson, Viswanathan Anand and Adam Gilchrist came together here on Wednesday under the banner of Royal Stag Barrel Select Perfect Strokes, a platform aimed at using star power to inspire people.
The four legends spoke of their journeys, picked their finest moments and named their heroes from other disciplines.
Matthaus called the World Cup win in 1990 as his crowning moment. “It certainly was the highlight of my career. I can never forget that tournament as we gave out best on the field. The respect among the players was incredible,” said Matthaus, who said he admires F1 star Lewis Hamilton for his “professionalism”.
Anand chose his 2000 World Championship win as his best. “It was in the knockout format, and it was special,” he said, and picked his victory over Vladimir Kramnik at Bonn in 2008 as the most memorable.
Kramnik was the only player to beat Garry Kasporav in a World Championship match.
“It went magically,” said Anand.
Johnson, though, admitted that perfection had always been elusive to him. “There is never a perfect race. I’ve never had one,” Johnson said.
“To me, Bolt was an amazing athlete to watch. He did personify perfection and achieved something very difficult to do. To repeat one Olympic win is tough. He did it thrice. Outside my sport, I think Federer is the best.”
For Gilchrist, it was not too difficult a pick. “MS Dhoni!” he said.
“The way he has played in every role: wicketkeeper, batsman, captain — he is a brand by himself. He’s had amazing success and shows amazing humility.”
Gilchrist picked the World Cup final in 2007 when he scored 149 in a rain-hit match to help Australia claim the crown as his special moment.
“I was average until the final. Nervous too. You don’t always get to do things perfectly. It was almost perfect that day,” he recalled.
For his favourite outside cricket, Gilchrist too picked Bolt.
“To do what he did for three Olympics in a row is brilliant. He personifies perfection,” Gilchrist said.
Gilchrist backed Australia to dominate the upcoming Ashes series. “It should be evenly fought but Australia does start favourite because of its bowing unit. Fitness and injuries would be a concern for both the teams.”
