The Indian team is currently in England, engaging themselves in a robust tour against Joe Root and his men. The tour which sees the two giants of the sport, lock horns in all three formats of the game, has already been pushing the Indian team to its limits.
While Virat Kohli and his gang won the T20 series against the home side, the Englishmen knocked the Indians off their perch in the 50-over format. However, the biggest test is yet to come and it’s the Test series which is set to start on August 1, in Birmingham.
However, this post is not to talk about the players, but to shed light on an individual, whose importance among the staffs, cannot be paralleled. We are here to talk about India’s team bus driver, Jeff Goodwin.
According to India Today, in an interview with the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI), Goodwin spoke about the Indian cricket team. Hailing the bunch as thorough professionals, he mentioned that the players are very friendly.
“I like the lads, there are all friendly. They are great to get on with but they are very disciplined. There is a changing way in cricket. In my times, it has changed so much. Australia will be drinking all the time after the game and staying inside the changing room till 2AM in the morning but now, not as much.”
“This team, particularly India, have never known a cricket team as professional, come out after the game so fast. This team is the best one.”
But one particular incident which Goodwin will remember for a lifetime is when left-handed batsman Suresh Raina came to his rescue during his wife’s illness. Goodwin revealed that the Uttar Pradesh cricketer gave his shirt to him to raise money via auction.
Say 👋 to Mr. Jeff Goodwin.#TeamIndia's bus driver gives interesting insights about various cricket teams who have been his passengers all these years. P.S Jeff loves this Indian Cricket team. Find out why…
▶️https://t.co/IQ2LWJK8Jn pic.twitter.com/aRVTbk2L5d
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 21, 2018
“Raina, few years ago in Leeds, he gave me his shirt to auction off. I’ve never forgotten that.”
Not only Goodwin, but his 21-year-old son has also been driving buses. He mentioned that while his son drove the bus, Sachin Tendulkar used to sit beside his son (the driver’s seat) and kept telling him that his father is a star.
“My son was driving the teams. He drove India and Tendulkar used to sit there (beside the driver) and he used to say your daddy is a big star. By the end of the tour, my son became a big star as well. He is only 21. Got a nice letter from the Indian government thanking me and him.”
Goodwin is the assigned bus driver of most of the cricket teams. He started driving team buses during the 1999 Cricket World Cup and has been a brilliant server ever since. However, Suresh Raina’s gesture towards Goodwin is one to be applauded with high arms. It proves that the cricketer not only has the talent of a genius but also a heart of gold.