Ravi Shastri remembers Jeffrey Archer, recalls their 10-year friendship over cricket

Pic/@RaviShastriOfc

Jeffrey Archer was what the Australians view cricket nuts as, ‘a cricket tragic.' Well-travelled Archer had cricket friends all over the world, including this part of the globe. Probably, the first famous ‘cricket Indian' he encountered was the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who he met at Oxford. I was a touch surprised to discover that Archer knew India cricketer-turned-television commentator Ravi Shastri well. "We knew each other for 10-15 years and would meet every summer in England," Shastri told mid-day on Tuesday.

The signed title page of Adam & Eve, the book that Archer sent to Ravi Shastri

"Just received his latest book, Adam and Eve, signed by him only five days ago. Today, he is no more. What a brilliant mind. The sheer pace and quality of his writing was extraordinary. Legendary. Rest in peace. God bless his soul," Shastri said on social media. Shastri underlined to us that Archer's speed in churning out books was exemplary and writing three books while in jail (2001 to 2003) bore testimony to his proficiency. Shastri said that Archer was to visit India next year and he had invited the author to his mumbai home.

In 2021, Archer invited Shastri to appear on his podcast Unputdownable. His humour came shining through when he told the straight-talking former player: "I didn't get a mention in this book of great cricketers you have played with…" Shastri apparently told him that he didn't include the other Geoffrey too - Geoff Boycott - all in good humour.

Archer's wit was also on show in an article he wrote for The Guardian in 2009: "When Kevin Pietersen resigned as captain of the England cricket team, I sat by my phone waiting for the call. It never came, despite the fact that I know Geoff Miller, the chairman of the selectors, rather well. Surely it can't be just because of my lifetime batting average of 11.37?" The last India vs England Test witnessed by Archer was at the Oval in London in 2025 when India won by six runs to square the series 2-2.