Indian cricket team best ambassadors of the sport: Archer

Notwithstanding a few dark moments encountered by them in the recent months, Indian cricketers have drawn praise from noted British author and playwright Lord Jeffrey Archer who described the players as the best ambassadors of the sport in the world. An ardent cricket fan, Archer spoke at length about his love for the game, his admiration for Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid and the popularity of the Indian team across the globe. "I love rugby and football but cricket is ahead by a mile. The Indian cricket team, when touring abroad, are the best ambassadors," said Archer, despite Indian players like Harbhajan Singh's involvement in a string of controversies since early this year. Archer, whose recent jail caper 'A Prisoner of Birth' topped the charts in just three days, also said he had high regards for Indian batsmen. "Tendulkar, Gavaskar and Dravid are in the same league," he said, adding he also had high regards for V V S Laxman and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. "Tendulkar and Dravid are great admirers of my work also and I had the privilege of dining with them early this year," he said at a function here last night. Archer, who started his career as a politician and began writing at the age of 35 'by mistake', claimed he was perhaps the "only Englishmen watching Laxman butchering the Australian bowlers in the Sydney Test in 2003-04". Archer, author of bestsellers like 'Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less', 'Kane and Abel', 'As the Crow Flies' and 'First Among Equals', will also visit Lucknow, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai as part of his six-city tour.