Former India batsman Yashpal Sharma has revealed that he managed to break into the national set-up only because of Bollywood super star <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/dilip+kumar-all">Dilip Kumar</a>. Thespian Kumar passed away at the age of 98 on Wednesday.&nbsp;
<h2>&lsquo;He was like my father&rsquo;</h2>
&ldquo;He [Kumar] was like my father. I am very saddened to hear the news of his passing,&rdquo; Sharma, 66, told mid-day over the phone from his Delhi residence.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In fact, Yusuf Bhai [Dilip Kumar&rsquo;s real name was Yusuf Khan] changed my life by uplifting my career. In the 1974-75 domestic season, he had come to the Mohan Nagar Ground in Delhi to watch the Punjab v UP Ranji knockout match. I had scored a hundred in both innings for Punjab and during our second innings, I noticed that some prominent personality had come in a car and was watching the match from a special seating area. I thought he must have been some top politician.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Later, Yusuf Bhai invited me for a chat and congratulated me for my century. &lsquo;You have played an excellent game, I will recommend your name to someone,&rsquo; were his words. The next day, my photograph appeared alongside Yusuf Bhai in the newspapers and I was stunned. Only later did I get to know that Yusif Bhai went on to recommend me to the late Raj Singh Dungarpur, who was a prominent cricket administrator. Yusuf Bhai told Raj Singhji that I deserved to play for the country and my life was transformed thereafter,&rdquo; recalled Sharma.
In the next few years, Sharma made his India debut both in the ODI and Test formats. Sharma became a regular middle-order batsman for Team India and emerged as one of the heroes of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/kapil+dev-all">Kapil Dev</a>&rsquo;s 1983 World Cup-winning squad. Sharma played 37 Tests and 42 ODIs, scoring 1606 and 883 runs and averaged 33.5 and 28.8 respectively. &nbsp;
<h2>Witnessed making of Kranti</h2>
Just as Kumar had an interest in cricket, Sharma too closely followed the actor&rsquo;s career. &ldquo;I have seen most of his films. Once, I was even invited to watch the shooting of the movie, Kranti. It went on to be a blockbuster,&rdquo; added Sharma. &nbsp;
Kumar also enjoyed his interactions with international cricketers. Former West Indies captain Sir Gary Sobers, in his autobiography, has mentioned one such interaction with the actor. Sobers wrote: &ldquo;Every morning in our Breach Candy Hotel, where all the stars stayed, I used to pass Duleep Singh [Sobers misspelt the name], one of Bollywood&rsquo;s top actors, and he would shout out for me to join him for breakfast. Everyone was incredibly friendly. But I never saw the film and don&rsquo;t know whether it was released or what happened to it.&rdquo;
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1983 World Cup-winning cricketer Sharma reveals he broke into the Indian team thanks to late actor Dilip Kumar’s recommendation to Raj Singh

Yusuf Bhai changed my life: Yashpal Sharma

‘He was like my father’

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