‘One evening, when I was headed for dinner with my British girlfriend Ellen, news of her presence spread like wildfire through the entire squad on tour. A senior national selector, who was on tour with us, spotted us walking in the lobby with our hands linked. It didn't even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me that was no crime. There was a good chance that if I had performed consistently on that Australia tour, I would have made it to the senior Indian side, but my performance kept dipping.'.