Never Celebrated Like Sachin Tendulkar's Wicket: Monty Panesar
In Delhi to launch his autobiography -- Monty Panesar, The Full Monty, the former England left-arm spinner opened up on various chapters of his tumultuous life in an exclusive chat with Outlook on December 14. The 37-year-old Panesar, who has taken 167 wickets in 50 Tests, plans to make an international comeback next year. Sachin Tendulkar was his first Test wicket in Nagpur in 2006. Panesar last played a Test match in 2013. Panesar lives in Luton with his dog Rambo. The genial Panesar, nicknamed the 'Python', speaks about his problems with alcohol and why his life went astray to leave him with a mental disorder in 2016.
Follow this story and more: https://www.outlookindia.com/
#Sports #OutlookMagazine #OutlookGroup
Follow this story and more: https://www.outlookindia.com/
#Sports #OutlookMagazine #OutlookGroup
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:16 Welcome to another edition of Outlook Special.
00:20 I am with former England Test Spinner, Monty Poneser.
00:24 He is very famous for many things.
00:27 He is one of the most successful left arm spinners from England.
00:31 Welcome to the show Monty.
00:33 Thank you. Thank you for inviting me.
00:35 I am Soumitra Bose. I work for the Sports Desk.
00:38 And we have this special series called the Bibliophile
00:42 where we talk about cricketers, special people like you.
00:46 And you have written this book called Monty Poneser, the full Monty.
00:52 And it's forward by Andrew Flintoff.
00:54 Yes. What brings you to India?
00:56 Well, I am here to launch my book, the full Monty.
00:59 And give an opportunity to the Indian fans about, in a book form,
01:05 to know more about how I have become successful as an international cricketer.
01:09 The challenging times I faced as a cricketer.
01:13 And what I want to do next in my life.
01:15 And I thought I would rather, you know, you always get the opportunity.
01:19 You ask yourself the question, what kind of book shall it be?
01:22 Shall it be an honest account or shall it just be another book, you know.
01:26 I scored 100 and I went to the next match, I did really well.
01:29 Next match I scored a 100.
01:32 I never scored 100 in international cricket.
01:34 Maybe 5 wickets with me.
01:36 But I think that's what I thought myself.
01:40 I might as well just give an honest account.
01:42 And then the fans can make their decision on if it's a good or a bad book.
01:46 I am told this is a brutally honest book.
01:50 Where you being an Indian, or rather an Asian,
01:54 we by nature, or our cricketers are not always very honest about themselves or what they have done.
02:01 I think you will probably buck that trend.
02:04 And probably inspire many people to come out with the truth of their life.
02:07 Especially the sports persons.
02:09 Yeah, because, well, this was the question, wasn't it?
02:12 When I had the opportunity to write this book,
02:15 now, I looked at myself, you know.
02:17 You have that moment, don't you?
02:19 When you look at yourself in the mirror and you think,
02:21 "What kind of book shall I make this?"
02:23 "Shall I make an honest book?"
02:25 "Like you said, brutally honest?"
02:27 "Or shall I just feather it up a little bit and make it fun and great?"
02:31 And I just thought to myself, I think,
02:33 this gives me an opportunity to talk about it honestly.
02:37 And any topics that maybe are slightly tough to talk about,
02:41 the author kind of helped me to collect more information.
02:45 He said, "Look, this is only going to work if you're honest about it."
02:48 And some of the stuff which are going to be slightly harder to talk about,
02:51 just be honest about it.
02:53 Why not?
02:54 Yeah, that's what I said.
02:55 I mean, not too many people do it.
02:56 In fact, the person who wrote the foreword,
02:58 which is Freddie Flintoff,
03:00 he's a bit of a character, isn't he?
03:02 Yeah.
03:03 And for him to write the foreword of this book is actually amazing.
03:08 And I think one honest man writing about another honest man.
03:12 Yes, yes. I think that's what it was.
03:14 Freddie and me have had very similar characters.
03:17 And that's why he probably picked me.
03:19 First Test match at Nagpur,
03:21 we probably saw some parts of me that's in him,
03:24 the way we love the game of cricket,
03:26 the way we just really go at it.
03:29 And also we committed, you know,
03:31 if there's a goal we want to set,
03:33 we really go after it and want to achieve something in this life.
03:37 And that's what he's done as well.
03:39 He's done brilliantly.
03:40 Absolutely.
03:41 In fact, he's just not been a cricketer.
03:43 He's been a boxer.
03:44 He's been so many things.
03:45 I think if my memory serves me right,
03:48 after Ian Botham,
03:49 we didn't have too many characters in English cricket.
03:52 Freddie Flint was one of them.
03:54 You became one of them.
03:56 You were really proud that there was an Indian guy who was doing this.
03:59 And of course, Ben Stokes.
04:00 And maybe when you revise this book again,
04:02 you should have a chapter from Ben Stokes.
04:04 Yeah, maybe.
04:05 It'd be nice to add a Ben Stokes chapter in there
04:08 because he did brilliantly in the last World Cup
04:11 and 12 months beforehand.
04:13 Yes.
04:14 Obviously, an unfortunate incident.
04:16 In the nightclub.
04:17 Outside a nightclub.
04:18 And then he's produced that unbelievable test match at Headingley.
04:24 That was amazing what he did there.
04:27 So I thought, yeah, he could win the Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday,
04:33 which is the 15th.
04:34 Yes.
04:35 In fact, talking of nightclubs,
04:37 one of your controversial chapters has happened there.
04:41 Do you regret whatever happened?
04:44 Or was it something that happened as part of the moment?
04:47 Yeah, well, look, I regret as a cricketer moments like that.
04:51 That's not the behavior that we should be supposed to be telling.
04:54 But I think what I realized is that my relationship with alcohol probably wasn't great.
05:01 And therefore, I've kind of stopped drinking.
05:04 It's been over 18 months now where I don't really drink alcohol.
05:08 Because I think for me, for some people, their relationship with alcohol is great.
05:13 Mine probably, you know, you have far too many.
05:17 And it's probably not for me.
05:18 It's all right.
05:19 I mean, you go through ups and downs in your life.
05:21 And maybe that was one small little phase you like to forget and come out of.
05:25 Yes.
05:26 Because at the end of the day, you come from a very devout, sick family.
05:29 Yes.
05:30 Which believes in the Babaji.
05:31 And, you know, I'm sure nobody likes to be like this.
05:35 And that's what I said about honesty, that you being honest and you wrote about this.
05:40 But 2016 was not a very happy chapter for your life.
05:44 You had a mental problem, you were paranoid.
05:47 What happened?
05:48 I mean, can you throw some light about that?
05:50 I think I had a session with a hypnotherapist where my friends just took me in a cafe,
05:55 not telling me there's a hypnotherapist sitting, joining us.
05:58 And we were just chatting away.
05:59 And then five minutes having a chat like this.
06:02 And then the next 40 minutes, I just didn't have a clue what was going on.
06:06 OK.
06:07 And I was just like, I felt like I wasn't there and I couldn't make any connection with the conversation.
06:15 You know, like right now I'm speaking to you like this and it's been more than five minutes.
06:19 So I think I'm all right now.
06:21 Yes, absolutely.
06:22 Yeah.
06:23 So then I just couldn't really connect to anything.
06:27 And then he realized that something isn't right.
06:29 So he said, look, you're not well.
06:31 You know, I think I think you have, you know, you're mentally not well.
06:34 There's something, you know, not right with you.
06:36 We need to have a session.
06:38 And then he took me for a session.
06:39 And then when we had that session, I afterwards asked him, what do you think?
06:48 Like, do I have a condition?
06:50 What is it?
06:51 And he goes, what it is.
06:52 He goes, I think you have paranoid schizophrenia.
06:55 Yes.
06:56 And I go, what's that then?
06:57 What is that?
06:58 And he goes, basically, when your confidence goes low, you feel people around you, the
07:03 surroundings, people around you, they're against you, they're not with you.
07:08 Umpire's not giving you decisions, player teammates, whatever.
07:11 And when your confidence goes, you start getting paranoid around your surroundings.
07:15 And he goes, that's what's happening to you.
07:18 Not many English left arm fast bowlers have 100 wickets.
07:22 You've taken at least 137 wickets from your prime.
07:27 167.
07:28 167 wickets in 50 test matches.
07:31 That's a brilliant record.
07:34 What brought this amount of fear in your mind that you might lose?
07:37 Although Swan was kind of coming in, but you and Swan were different bowlers.
07:42 Yeah, I think sometimes what happens is that you just like, probably don't feel great,
07:46 or you're probably putting too much pressure on yourself.
07:48 You know, it's taking so many more balls to get a wicket than actually my normal strike
07:53 rate, which was probably 10 to 11 overs.
07:56 It's taken me 15 overs, 16 overs, some bad day, 20 overs.
08:01 And eventually that gets on top of you.
08:05 There's only so many balls you have in a match.
08:08 So many balls you can bowl in a season, and suddenly the wickets are not matching up to that.
08:13 And it kind of gets to you, and how long can you keep going like this?
08:17 It's a real strain.
08:20 I don't really like bowling so many balls to get a wicket.
08:24 And you feel a little bit down, and you don't feel happy with how life is at the moment.
08:29 So you just think, maybe, well, let's just have a drop of alcohol, let's have some beer,
08:35 go and watch football, let's forget about it.
08:38 And you start drinking, and you feel uplifted.
08:40 You think, this is all right, actually, I don't feel that bad after all.
08:43 And then suddenly I realized that maybe I was using alcohol as a way of an antidepressant.
08:50 Because it's a depressant itself, you don't realize it.
08:53 Sometimes when you feel a little bit down, and innocently you can just start drinking a few more.
08:59 And then next thing you know, like 1 to 5, 5 to 10, just to keep that mood uplifted.
09:05 And that's when I realized that, you know what, I'm going to do something about this,
09:08 and I'm going to holistically get better.
09:11 This has not happened with only you, it has happened with several sportspersons.
09:15 They have gone through this, and very recently Glenn Maxwell took time off from cricket.
09:20 He's trying to get back.
09:21 Why do you think that it happens?
09:24 Is it something, a mental condition that happens with international cricketers?
09:28 I haven't seen many Indians going through this phase.
09:31 In spite of playing so much of pressure, there's so much of pressure to get into the team, to earn money.
09:36 But I have seen with several international cricketers, Michael Yardley, Treskotic was one of them.
09:42 Of course you were one of the latest ones.
09:44 But right now we've even seen a very strong man like Glenn Maxwell going through this phase.
09:50 Yeah, I think because, the reason is, is that it's just the pressure of cricket sometimes.
09:57 You know, traveling abroad, having the pressure.
09:59 And sometimes, you know, like you come to India, there's so many, like several sportsmen,
10:03 who already said, that why is it that in India, like there's some people, you know,
10:09 who are very lucky, you know, got so much, and some people don't have a lot.
10:12 But they're so happy.
10:14 And India has always been like that, hasn't it?
10:16 You come to India and people are just happy.
10:18 They're really happy people.
10:20 But in the other countries, they have like, you know, I guess everything they want, but they're still not happy.
10:25 And that's the beauty about, you know, coming to India.
10:29 And, you know, I remember, you know, Sebastian Vettel, he said that.
10:33 And he was like...
10:35 He's been to India.
10:36 Yeah, he comes to India and he goes, "I just can't believe how happy people are with not much."
10:41 And I think that's what, that's why he said like, Indian players probably, you know, haven't gone through it.
10:47 There have been some Bollywood stars who've talked about it.
10:50 But even, I think, even if someone, even if Indian cricketers have gone through it,
10:56 they probably won't talk about it openly because they're afraid of losing their place, how competitive it is.
11:00 But generally, I think, you know, India just has this very good feel-happy factor.
11:05 The feel-good factor, you say, in terms of cricket.
11:08 Yeah.
11:09 It's not true for other sports though, but anyway, that's a separate topic.
11:12 But the fact remains that, could you take us a little bit through your book?
11:16 What are the chapters one must read when they buy the book?
11:19 Well, as we go through it, there's many, many good chapters here.
11:23 Yes, yes.
11:24 And, well, there's obviously, you know, the first chapter is a really good one.
11:30 You know, most popular dog names of 2006.
11:32 And you have one dog called Rambo.
11:34 Yes.
11:35 I mean, even Rambo is a very, very character with a lot of strength.
11:40 I mean, the moment you talk about Rambo, we talk about, we think about Sylvester Stallone.
11:44 Yeah, yeah.
11:45 So, if you want to see a picture of Rambo, which is in here, you can show people.
11:50 That's Rambo.
11:53 Yeah.
11:54 Okay.
11:55 That's me and Rambo here.
11:56 Wow.
11:57 So, Rambo and Monty.
11:58 That's Rambo, Monty's dog.
12:02 And he lives in Luton?
12:04 He lives in Luton.
12:05 We were recently part of a program called Dogumentary Back Home.
12:08 Okay, Dogumentary.
12:09 Yeah.
12:10 And sometimes, you know, when you're busy at work and you come home and you open the
12:14 door and there it is, you know, unconditional love.
12:16 And, you know, Rambo kind of helped me, you know, through my sort of tough times as well.
12:21 Yes.
12:22 He's like a companion.
12:23 He's always there.
12:24 Like, you're sitting watching TV, your dog's barking at you.
12:27 So, yeah, I think pets are a great sort of companion as well as, you know, to make you
12:33 feel…
12:34 Like a true friend.
12:35 Yes, I would say.
12:36 They say a dog is your true friend.
12:37 Like, a dog's like a man's best friend, isn't it?
12:40 Yes.
12:41 Yeah.
12:42 Okay, I mean, in this book, we have also written a chapter about ball tampering.
12:46 You've been extremely honest saying that, yes, you were sometimes setting up the ball
12:51 for the pacers to reverse swing, the use of saliva and other things, substances.
12:56 I mean, and also you talked about the zip, that, you know, rubbing the ball.
13:02 These are conditions that cricketers do.
13:04 But do you think that what happened with the sandpaper gate was correct?
13:09 Oh, that was like…
13:11 It's like, if you want to be subtle about cheating, that was just…
13:16 Let's be really obvious about it.
13:18 You know, like, yeah, we take sweets, you know, you can put a little bit of Vaseline
13:22 maybe on your trousers.
13:23 Like, everyone used to do that, right?
13:25 It's no like big conspiracy.
13:28 But what they were doing is like really like, you know, proper, planned out.
13:33 We're going to get a sandpaper, sandpaper it, and then polish it.
13:36 But I guess, you know, Steve Smith kind of took, and David Warner took the most of that.
13:42 Yes, correct.
13:43 Yeah, they took on responsibility for being what they did, and they had their punishment.
13:49 And they've come back, they've done really well.
13:51 Steve Smith is doing an Asher series, and recently David Warner scored a triple century.
13:56 So it shows that, you know, from your mistakes, you can come back and get on top of your cricket.
14:04 You were in India 2012.
14:06 Do you recollect playing your first test match?
14:08 Your first wicket was Satchi Ntendo?
14:10 Yeah, I remember, you know, his first. I think they've, it's a new stadium now, isn't it?
14:15 It's not the old one, now, Paul? Do they still play cricket there?
14:17 Yeah, they play, yeah.
14:18 Okay, domestic cricket, yeah.
14:20 So, there I remember taking, you know, his wicket, which I was surprised, you know, hit the pad.
14:26 As you naturally do, hits the pad, and you don't see the stumps, so you just appeal.
14:31 And you're obviously giving it out, and I just ran towards point.
14:34 And I never celebrated like that ever for a wicket.
14:37 So that was the best celebration you did?
14:39 Best celebration ever, my first test wicket.
14:41 It was a great introduction to international cricket.
14:44 You were a bit of a cult figure in England, with your beard, with your black patka, or your turban.
14:50 And they have had competitions on beard, and after you.
14:57 So how did you like that adulation?
14:59 Although they made fun of your feelings sometimes, but the point is this, your beard and your patka,
15:04 and your wide-eyed celebration, the way you ran, it really made headlines.
15:09 Yeah, I guess it was my character that people liked.
15:12 You know, they loved the way I gave a full 100% effort.
15:16 You know, any contest that was there, I wouldn't shy away.
15:19 As a typical British Punjabi, or that British Bulldogs spirit that we have, you know.
15:25 And just, you know, any contest, if the best players, you know, I have to bowl to them, I bowl to them.
15:32 And I think that's the bit they liked about me.
15:34 Just works hard, tries hard, and he makes really clumsy mistakes.
15:38 You must remember in 2006, that Dhoni catch.
15:41 Yes, yes.
15:43 So yeah, one minute I dropped the catch, and 10 metres over there, I've never done that ever in county cricket.
15:51 And there you go, I've done a very embarrassing moment.
15:53 And then I don't take the catch, two balls later.
15:57 So it just shows that, you know, one minute you're a zero, the next minute you can become a hero.
16:01 So sports, you're very fickle like that.
16:03 That's pressure for you.
16:05 The amount of pressure it brings on you, especially when you wear the England colour, or England cap.
16:10 But I'm surprised to see you today wearing a white patka, or a white turban.
16:14 So you've been quite a statement of fashion.
16:17 You know, people have a kind of woman fashion around you, especially your beard.
16:22 And sometimes they have even called you the monster, or the sultar, or the python.
16:28 All these kind of nicknames that Monty Panesar got in his life, how do you look up to that?
16:32 Obviously everybody doesn't have these kind of nicknames.
16:35 I think you should feel proud about it.
16:37 Yeah, I do, I do. It makes me feel like, great, you know, so many different nicknames.
16:42 The python obviously comes from the spitting cobra, you know, of a length I get it to zip, and faster than that.
16:48 People say, oh that was another spitting cobra from Monty Panesar.
16:52 So they're the sort of nicer terms which I like, or the Terminator maybe.
16:58 But they haven't really talked about my batting or my catching or anything like that.
17:03 But yeah, these names are great. It's great to have so many different nicknames.
17:06 Yeah, I mean, you're one of the very few bowlers who gave the ball to the air.
17:10 I mean, it's something that you don't get to see nowadays.
17:13 And you're a very traditional left-arm spinner.
17:17 But how did your colleagues, especially the senior batsmen, treat you in terms of, did they...
17:23 Because, you know, a spinner needs to be backed by the captain.
17:26 Because there are times when you can get hit.
17:28 Who do you think was your best captain?
17:29 My best captain was Michael Vaughan.
17:31 And he loved my celebrations.
17:33 Because I think sometimes, you know, the way my energy was, it was so positive that it would actually uplift the team.
17:38 And if there was another team member, he's probably thinking, I'm not enjoying today.
17:41 He's probably thinking, they're probably thinking, actually tomorrow I'm going to enjoy my cricket like Monty enjoyed today.
17:46 Do you know what I mean?
17:47 And then that would like help them as well.
17:50 So me being really positive, enjoying my cricket, was a reflection of like how they should enjoy Test cricket as well.
17:56 And I think that was probably a real standout point when I played Test cricket.
18:01 It's like sometimes there's a lot of players, you know, they work ever so hard to get to a goal and they all play Test cricket.
18:07 That sometimes you forget to enjoy that moment.
18:10 I finally got to the destination.
18:12 I'm finally doing what I really want to do.
18:14 And I really enjoy it, you know, because you don't know how long it's going to last.
18:17 And I really enjoyed my moments, you know, in Test cricket.
18:20 That's one thing I didn't stop.
18:23 You know, I really enjoyed every wicket, enjoyed playing Test cricket.
18:25 Absolutely. We saw that every time you played cricket.
18:28 But unfortunately, after 2013, you haven't played much cricket because the thing is, whatever it is, because of your mental condition, then maybe your lack of form.
18:37 But 2017 was very, very instrumental in the fact that you were called upon as an advisor to the Australian team on the tour before, I think, India.
18:47 Yeah.
18:48 And what lessons did you give to your batsmen?
18:51 Well, what I said, like, you know, the Indian batsmen, they're very good at picking the length.
18:55 OK, and the soil, you have to bowl differently on the different soils.
18:58 So the red soil, you have to like, you can't just rely on the pitch turning square.
19:04 The Indian batsmen want you to bowl it with no flight because then they'll judge the length and it's easy.
19:09 You know, turning ball is easy for them to play.
19:11 It's more about judging the length.
19:13 And if your flight is good and you use the width of the crease really well, so that's the kind of stuff I was telling obviously, you know, Steve O'Keefe.
19:22 I didn't realise it would be such an impact, you know, like the little tips I was giving him.
19:27 But it really, really helped him a lot.
19:30 And it was great to see him perform really well in India.
19:33 You talked about Test cricket, but if you look at the competition in Test cricket, it's getting too one-sided.
19:38 West Indies don't know how to play Test cricket.
19:41 Many nations just are forgetting how to play Test cricket.
19:44 You can count the number of classy batsmen in the fingertips, how many of them are there.
19:48 England don't have too many, New Zealand don't have too many, Australia don't have too many.
19:51 It seems the balance is too much heavily in the Indian side.
19:55 I think it is.
19:57 I think India are probably producing the best batsmen at the moment that are adapting for white ball cricket as well as Test match cricket.
20:04 And it's quite, you know, look at the positions, you know, they don't lie.
20:09 World Championships, Test positions, they're like already 360 points, second team is at 60.
20:15 So you can see the massive contrast that Indian cricket is having.
20:21 And that's going to be this Indian team's challenge.
20:25 Can they now replicate the performances that they're having in India, abroad?
20:30 And if they start doing that, then, well, I'm not, I don't know if this makes you feel good, but set for world domination?
20:39 You saw the Indian team during the World Cup, right? Of course, that was 50 over cricket.
20:43 But what's been the biggest transition for the Indian cricket team is the ability of the fast bowlers.
20:49 They can rattle opposition, which you've seen.
20:51 So I think given that the fact that, you know, the fast bowlers have come to the party, they already have the classic spinners.
20:58 As you said, they have the best batsmen.
21:00 Do you think India is now right now invincible and can go on to break records overseas?
21:07 Yeah. So like they've had six wins in a row.
21:11 And I think the world record is 11?
21:13 Yeah.
21:14 11, isn't it?
21:15 Yeah. So they need to beat New Zealand twice and they'll have to have a couple of overseas wins.
21:20 If they beat that record, right, then I think this is an invincible team.
21:25 Or let's say, you know, they don't.
21:29 It's only one or the other in terms of the outcome.
21:33 But if they don't, then you kind of get the impression that India are invincible in India, but not an invincible team in all conditions.
21:42 Absolutely. You still have to be convinced that India can beat other teams abroad.
21:46 Yes.
21:47 And we can only hope that, you know, now the balance of the team looks very good.
21:51 Now that the fast bowlers have come in, you must have heard about Jasprit Bumrah.
21:56 Yeah.
21:57 He's been quite an impact.
21:59 Yeah, he's been an impact. He's another Punjabi seat boy.
22:04 Absolutely.
22:05 And he bowls fast.
22:06 Very fast.
22:07 Yes.
22:08 With an unusual action.
22:09 Yes. So that's really unheard of.
22:11 We tend to just, well, Bishan Singh Bedi, Harbhajan Singh, Mani Parnasar, all Punjabis, but they were spinners.
22:20 And there's obviously Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was a great player of spin bowling.
22:25 John Embry keeps reminding me of how many sixes he used to hit him out of the ground.
22:29 So we never had a fast bowler play for the India team.
22:34 And now there's someone there.
22:36 And he's like, I think, a product of the IPL.
22:40 You know, someone who played T20, unorthodox, unusual start, able to play three forms.
22:45 And I think he's going to be very useful abroad.
22:48 And I think, you know, Birat Koldi's got a real asset.
22:52 Absolutely.
22:53 My last question, and Manti Parnasar hasn't retired yet.
22:58 He's not officially retired.
23:00 He's written a book.
23:02 People write books, make comebacks, and there are those miraculous stories about our own sports persons.
23:08 What's Manti Parnasar's life going to be?
23:11 I think I'm going to try and see if I can make a comeback after January, train with North Ants,
23:15 and let's see if I can make a comeback as well.
23:18 Because I'd love to make a comeback, play professional cricket again.
23:21 Play for England?
23:22 England again. There's another tour of India.
23:24 Who knows, you may be interviewing me this time as an England player.
23:28 Absolutely.
23:29 I'm still interviewing you as an England player, Manti Parnasar.
23:32 You may be an ex-player, but you still have life to go.
23:35 Yes.
23:36 As you said, and you're a very young man.
23:38 Yeah, so like my long-term plans, so the short-term plan for next year will probably be to see if I can make a comeback in cricket.
23:44 And the longer-term plan is going to be, you know, become an unbelievable media presenter.
23:49 So hopefully I can get some media presenting work in India.
23:54 I would love to do that.
23:55 And also see if I can speak Hindi well and become a Bollywood actor as well.
24:01 Good luck and thanks for your time for Outlook.
24:04 Thank you.
24:05 Thank you.
24:06 [Music]