When cricketers are asked about the most satisfying parts of their careers, not all of them point to their runs, wickets and catches. Instead, references are made to the friendships they sealed and the opportunities they had to meet interesting people in their playing days. It's quite the same for journalists.

Last week, I got to know Sankaran Srinivasan (the former Mumbai and Tamil Nadu batsman) better, after meeting him for the first time while covering the India v Australia Test at Chennai in 1998. Way back then, I was introduced to him by the late sports writer Pradeep Vijayakar, and Srinivasan continued to drop in for a chat in the MA Chidambaram Stadium press box in later years. It was interesting to hear from Pradeep then that Srinivasan was a Mumbai player, who represented the Associated Cement Companies (ACC) at one time. Srinivasan returned to Tamil Nadu and continued his Ranji Trophy career.