Subhayan Chakraborty at Lord’s
The Lord’s Test is always a grand spectacle, no matter who’s battling it out at this legendary venue. The hallowed ground, the electric atmosphere, that quirky slope, the iconic balconies, and every inch of the stands—Lord’s oozes history, earning its rightful title as ‘The Home of Cricket’. Day 1 of the England-India Test was no exception, with the series locked at 1-1. This is the pivotal match, the one to seize momentum in the second half of the five-match showdown.
The day held extra magic for Sachin Tendulkar, the ‘God of Cricket’. Despite a modest batting record at Lord’s, his towering contributions to Indian and global cricket prompted the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to honour him with a stunning portrait by Stuart Pearson Wright, unveiled at the MCC Musuem. This masterpiece will grace the MCC Museum until the end of the 2025 English season before finding a permanent home in the pavilion.
Tendulkar’s cricketing saga is legendary, needing no introduction. But his larger-than-life presence truly hit home when our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Boria Majumdar, whisked me away for an impromptu meeting with the man himself. It was the second session of Day 1, with England plodding along after lunch. Out of nowhere, Boria Da asked, “Got a marker and your phone on you?” Clueless about his plan, I scrambled to find a marker and handed it over. “Come with me,” he said, revealing his mission: to snag a couple of portrait prints from the Lord’s Shop, the same one now hanging in the MCC Museum, and get them signed by Tendulkar. I jumped in, buying one for myself, hoping to get it signed too. “Just get it. He won’t say no,” Boria Da assured me with a grin.
We made our way to the President’s Suites, where Tendulkar was chilling with cricketing titans Ravi Shastri, Brett Lee, and Chris Gayle. Doubting he’d step away from such company, I whispered, “Will he really come out?” Boria Da’s calm reply: “Patience, my friend.” Moments later, my phone buzzed. Boria Da was summoned upstairs, and he insisted, “Subhayan’s with me!”
Up we went to the ‘Ravi Shastri Suite’. After a brief wait, the ‘God of Cricket’ emerged. He and Boria Da shared a warm hug and a quick chat. As a crowd gathered, buzzing at the sight of Tendulkar, we swiftly got our posters personalised. Despite his packed schedule, the legend took the time to nail the tricky spelling of my name: “S-U-B-H-A-Y-A-N”. He even posed for a couple of photos, immortalising the moment. The man who carried the hopes of a billion on the pitch could’ve brushed off my complicated name, but true to form, he didn’t disappoint. Even now, years after his retirement, he lived up to the moment for a journalist who started his career well after his final international match.
Walking back, I was a bit misty eyed, overwhelmed by the experience. I asked Boria Da for a moment to soak it all in, to gaze at the signed poster and gather myself before we headed back to the Barclays Media Centre. He gave me that space. All I could muster was a heartfelt “Thank you” to him, the same two words I’d said to Tendulkar during our photo. Simple, but brimming with gratitude and emotion.
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