EXCLUSIVE
I witnessed Sachin Tendulkar’s crazy fame – he was a king in India who had to wear disguises to the cinema
England legend Darren Gough never played a Test match in India, but the cricketing nation’s carnival still found its way to him in Yorkshire.
Ben Stokes’ men begin a five-match Test series in India on Thursday – live on talkSPORT 2 – stepping into one of the most famous atmospheres in world sport.
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India’s cricketers are treated like Gods – and even without superstar Virat Kohli for the first two Tests – the roars that greet England will be deafening.
For more than two decades, the biggest cheers were reserved for one man: Sachin Tendulkar.
Many consider him the greatest batter of all-time and the records back that up, but the Little Master is so much more than that.
He is one of the most famous people in all of India, a truly global celebrity - and Goughie experienced that first-hand in Yorkshire.
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In 1992, a teenage Tendulkar became the county’s first-ever overseas-born player, scoring more than 1,000 runs in 16 matches.
Goughie remembers: “He was an amazing team mate.
“Tendulkar came over so young - and he was hilarious. He loved being in our dressing room, it was a great experience for him. The expectancy for someone so young was ridiculous.
“We never paid for an Indian meal when he was with us, we walked in and it was my first experience really of going in a restaurant and not even getting a menu.
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“You weren't allowed to order, they were just bringing it. Because Tendulkar just sat there and he was just like a king. He was a great teammate and great fun.”
That was Yorkshire – and Goughie’s experience of India at the 1996 World Cup made him realise the sheer scale of Tendulkar’s fame.
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He added: “The World Cup, we had 110,000 there for the opening ceremony, not even a game. We were all there in ridiculous heat.
"It was at the Wankhede Stadium [in Mumbai] and it was rammed and we all got introduced in the middle and that gives you an idea of what it was going to be like.
“That was back in 1996, it was mad, and my first experience of India: the passion, the knowledge, they knew who everybody was, they knew your record inside out, they just want to meet you, they just want to touch you.
“It's a strange environment but it's also a brilliant environment to be part of, where you've got so much passion for a sport and you're living it and it's a great opportunity for anybody who's lucky enough to tour India and play cricket.
“It gives you an idea of what it's like when Tendulkar and [MS] Dhoni have to wear disguises to get around. Tendulkar, when he went to the cinema, he said he used to go in a disguise, which is quite funny really.
“It's mad but that's the passion of it. You want to have some kind of normality, but when you're a sporting superstar like Tendulkar or Dhoni or Kohli, it must be very difficult. Because they just want to be around you, they just want to talk, they just want to say hello and it's totally different to any other country you'll go to.
“You go to other countries like Australia and South Africa, they have enormous knowledge of the game, but you can probably walk down the street - and yes a few people recognise you - but it's almost like they'll look and don't do anything.
“In India, they just surround you and it can be quite intimidating if you've never experienced it before.”
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While Goughie never bowled at Tendulkar in a Test match, the former paceman played his fair share of ODI cricket in India.
The Yorkshireman will never forget claiming the great man’s wicket in 2002 in front of his home crowd in Mumbai.
“Every time you bowled at him, especially in Indian conditions, you knew it was going to be difficult,” Goughie added.
“Not much bounce, not much seam movement. He hit so well down the ground, there wasn't much bounce, so he had that big bat.
“I got him caught second slip, which was an unbelievable dismissal. The noise when he came out to bat… it's almost like a shock. He comes out to bat and the noise is deafening.
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“That's the one thing about India, the noise when a local hero comes out, it puts you on the back foot straight away.”
It is a combination of this atmosphere, specialist spin-bowling conditions and supreme talent which has helped India establish an unbeaten record in Test series on home soil dating back to England's triumph in 2012.
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A bold new England, under the adventurous guidance of Brendon McCullum and his 'Bazball' philosophy, will look to fight fire with fire and continue their own undefeated run in Test series since the New Zealander took charge in 2022.
We can promise it will sound ferocious - and you won't miss a single delivery on talkSPORT 2.
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