Morning was not the best time to interact with John Wright. A quick “hello” was enough because more than often he would be grumpy, annoyed at some previous day setback or worrying at what lay ahead. If you spotted Wright sprinting furiously along the boundary, you knew he was not in the best of moods. That’s the impression most players gave of this Kiwi. But I found him easily accessible, warm and friendly. He was aware of the media requirements and always came cross quite accommodating as he was recently during a visit to Delhi as a scout for Mumbai Indians.
We meet for lunch at the Eau De Monsoon, a speciality restaurant at the Le Meridien. John reports on time. As he would for the toss when he led New Zealand. “It is a fabulous place,” he gushes, easing into the chair. His first impressions of India go back to the World Cup in 1987, ten years after he had made is Test debut. “I remember travelling by train. It was fun. Some of the hotels were modest.” Many years later, as coach of the India team, he was given a suite in a luxury hotel in Jodhpur. “It had more furniture than my house,” he bursts out laughing before downing a sweet corn cappuccino. We are told this is to prepare us for the lovely afternoon.
Wright loves to talk. And eat. The starters? John is all ears. Chicken tikka duo, garlic and cheese, khasta roti, cucumber raita jelly; dill and kasundi mustard marinated sole, tandoori broccoli, chargrilled asparagus, bell pepper mint chutney. “Let it come,” John takes guard, surveying the surroundings. The affable Kiwi is set to bat.
“I always loved touring the sub-continent. The World Cup was memorable for some of the matches we played. I can never forget being smashed by Sunny (Gavaskar) at Nagpur. It was a blistering show. I remember Willy Watson commenting ‘It was like bowling in the highlights.’ With every tour, I noticed things changed remarkably, definitely a new India. Everything has moved on. I must say India has some of the finest hotels of the world.”
The starters have vanished from the table with John demanding more of the chutney. “It was good,” John gives his certificate to the chef. Before the main course comes the palate cleanser. John can’t conceal his excitement. The blueberry sobet comes and goes. John smacks his lips. I get him to relive that epic at the Eden Gardens in 2001 against Australia when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid scripted history.
“It was the greatest Test match I was involved in,” John bites into the chicken biryani. There is green coriander-flavoured chicken curry too. Overnight, John was transformed into a great coach after that Kolkata victory. “There were great players in that team. Great players will make anyone a good coach. You have to have good players. I had. I really had some great players. It was a terrific combination. Sourav (Ganguly) played a large part in getting Laxman to keep his pads and bat at number three. We wanted Laxman to open but he did not like opening. He was never an opener. But he was so inspiring, wanting to play a huge part. He relished the responsibility. I was aware of one thing. Had we lost that series it would have been end of foreign coach in Indian cricket.” John continued coaching India for four more years.
John’s crowning moment was winning the series in Pakistan. Did he ever realise the impact of that win and what it meant to India? “Oh yes, I knew it was pretty huge. India and Pakistan, who doesn’t know? I remember telling Javed (Miandad) before the series. Either you or me, only one will survive, I told him. It was a big series and we played better cricket to win.”
John is just loving the lunch, especially the creamy black lentil. The assorted breads catch his attention. Do you cook, I ask John. “Not anymore. I would when I was playing county (for Derbyshire). Peter Kirsten and David Steele were my flat mates. Both were fine cricketers. I would cook and Peter would do dishes.” and Steele? “Please quote me on this. David Steele, a good friend if mine and a wonderful person, would sleep, just sleep.”
A veteran of 82 Tests with 12 centuries and 23 fifties, John is fascinated with the IPL (Indian Premier League). “It is less subtle than Test cricket. The nuances of the game have changed. Believe me, the pressure in IPL is huge. You wake up every morning and worry about how you are going to win the game. IPL is cricket’s answer to the EPL (English Premier League). I like T20. I like Test cricket too. Let me add that if you are good at Tests, you can be good at T20. But the reverse would never work. Someday, you are going to have books written on T20. I do worry at the sparse crowd for Test cricket because I love cricket in the whites. I hope cricket can have the best of both the forms of the game.”
John signs off with Illy coffee.
“Too good,” he smiles. It is time for him to return to the Ferozeshah Kotla. He has spotted some talented bowlers. He is good at it. I must share a secret here. If you are looking for some of the best tikka joints in the city, ask John. He knows them all!
