Taking interviews has always been fun,
but when the interviewee in question is fielding legend Jonty Rhodes, it’s a
different issue altogether.
Eager to meet him, I waited for him to
arrive at the decided time – 1.30pm. However, half past one came and went, and
Jonty only made an appearance at 2.10pm, 20 minutes before his fielding camp at
Mumbai’s Western Railway Cricket Ground was supposed to start. While waiting
for him though, I had, if not a fun time, an interesting one at least. From
1.30pm to 2pm I walked around the perimeter of the grounds and, being dresses
formally, got suitably stared at by the sportspersons present there. Since it
was the ground at the Western Railway Sports Association, all the sportspersons
were present. It was only post 2pm that the kids who were going to be a part of
Jonty’s camp started arriving. No sooner had they entered the premises than
they started worrying about their clothes and gear. One of them insited on
changing into his protective guard right there, in the passageway! He would
have, too, had it not been for one of the tall men, quite possibly one of the
WR athletes, who put forth the idea that the child change in the men’s dressing
room.
Did I say tall player? Oh my, were they
tall, and how! Just that morning I’d been speaking with some colleagues about
how Indian men aren’t tall, and here were these 6’4”, 6’5” specimens, whose
sole agenda seemed to be to prove me wrong. And boy, were they good looking!
So, after all this, Jonty finally
arrives and I went up to himt o ask about the interview. Turns out, he wasn’t
aware there was supposed to be one! And since he was short on time, he couldn’t
spare a few minutes then. Damn! I was told to return at 5.30pm, after the camp
got over. Would he give me an interview then? Only time would tell...
