Former England football manager Gareth Southgate recalled his love for cricket as a young kid and legendary Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar during his first visit to India. Southgate, a former England national, was spotted at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. He was spotted wearing a Rajasthan Royals jersey.
The 54-year-old then travelled to Kolkata to witness Rajasthan Royals’ thrilling encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens. Although, Rajasthan Royals lost both the games, Southgate was pretty overwhelmed by the craze for the sport in the country.
“Very often, when you play at Wembley, the crowd is a little bit quieter. I have always been a fan of cricket. When I was a young kid, I used to watch Test matches all day long,” Southgate told ipl.com.
“I mean, I am going back to the era of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and players like that and then over the years, I got to know a lot of the players when I was playing for England, and I knew a lot of the England team,” added Southgate, who was in charge of England for eight years.
“Last year, Ben Stokes came and talked to the England team. Also, with a lot of coaches, you learn a lot across sports, so that’s really why I am here,” he added.
Every sport is evolving rapidly: Southgate
Southgate, who guided England to the Euro finals twice in 2020 and 2024 and to the 2018 FIFA World Cup semifinal, emphasized the importance of gaining knowledge from different sports.
“Every sport is evolving rapidly, so much that coaches share, medical teams share, and yeah, it’s always fascinating to go outside your field and learn from other people. As I said, I love the sport. So it’s lovely to come here, and I have loved coming to India. It is the first time I have been to India. It has been amazing,” Southgate added.
The KKR vs RR clash on Sunday witnessed as many as 16 sixes between both teams. Asked about his six-hitting abilities, Southgate rated himself honestly, “One (laughs).”
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