Pervez Musharraf Praised Sachin Tendulkar In 2004 Tour, But His "Best" Was Reserved For...: New Book Reveals

Lakshmipathy Balaji turned out to be the cynosure of all eyes during the Indian cricket team's tour of Pakistan in 2004 with his on-field exploits so much so that the then president Gen Pervez Musharraf saluted his spirit and hailed him as a great soldier fighting bravely for the team. He was also cheered by girls when he visited the Wagah border and by a group of students at Lahore University, recalls cricket administrator Amrit Mathur, who was the team's media manager, in his memoir "Pitchside: My Life in Cricket".

In the book, Mathur brings alive insightful first-person accounts of some of Indian cricket's most memorable moments with anecdotes, events and matches.

In the 2004 tour, India and Pakistan played five one-day international matches and three Tests. India won the ODI series 3-2 and the Test series 2-1.

After the second ODI in Rawalpindi, which India lost by 12 runs, Musharraf hosted a reception for the teams at the presidential palace in Islamabad.

"The players are told to leave their mobiles in the bus and names are tallied with a list and ticked off. Gifts for the president (BCCI mementos and a bat signed by the players, with the names written by V V S Laxman, who has neat handwriting) are taken away for security screening and will be delivered inside," writes Mathur in the book, published by Westland Sports, an imprint of Westland Books.

"After a brief wait, the president strides in, impeccable in his crisp khaki uniform and black military boots. He appears taller than he looks on TV and wears his trousers high, which makes his legs look disproportionately long.

"The players line up for introductions and the president gives Sachin (Tendulkar) a long and vigorous handshake. After desultory yet polite