Photo via Sportstar

When I interviewed Sachin Tendulkar in a car on the way to the airport, Sourav Ganguly in a dressing room during a Test match and Shane Warne in Sharjah with a match in progress

In the early 2000s, sports journalism thrived on spontaneous access to cricketers, offering rich, unfiltered conversations that modern media often lacks. A standout example came during India’s Test match against Zimbabwe at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla in 2000, when journalist Joe Hoover secured a rare interview with Sourav Ganguly in the team’s dressing room—amid an ongoing match.

The interview, arranged with team manager Chetan Chauhan’s approval, unfolded in a corner of the pavilion while Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid anchored a crucial partnership on the field. The session stretched beyond the promised 15 minutes, with Ganguly’s openness allowing for deeper insights into his mindset during high-pressure games.

Such moments, where journalists could engage directly with players without rigid protocols, defined a bygone era of cricket reporting—one that relied on trust, timing, and the serendipity of a match in progress.

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