Navjot Sidhu gets surprise visit in hospital from old foe and ex-India teammate
Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is currently battling a life-threatening acute deep vein thrombosis neurological problem at Delhi’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, received a surprise well-wisher on Thursday in former India captain and teammate Mohammad Azharuddin.
The visit is even more interesting given that Sidhu and Azharuddin were involved in one of the most infamous spats within the India team on a tour of England in 1996.
No visitors are allowed to meet Sidhu but Azharuddin, who came in during the hospital's allotted visiting hours, told the authorities, "My brother is inside". The hospital then got in touch with Sidhu's family to get the permission.
The 1996 tour is remembered for the infamous walk-out by opener Navjot Sidhu, citing differences with his captain, but the exact reasons have never been made clear to the public. Many years later in 2011, a new book by former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele claimed that Sidhu walked out because Azharuddin was constantly abusing him.
Perhaps it will never be known what went wrong on the 1996 tour, but quite clearly a lot of time has passed since then, as can be seen from this tweet by Sidhu, exhibiting copious brotherly love:
Old Gold, old wine, old friends - still the Best! pic.twitter.com/cz83GWAUJh
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) October 8, 2015