Saira Banu posts still of Dilip Kumar playing cricket, recalls his ‘yearning to become the country’s best sportsman’

Saira Banu’s new Instagram account seems to be a gift that keeps on giving. She has been doling out some treasured pictures and accounts of her memories with late husband and legendary actor Dilip Kumar. (Also Read: Saira Banu recalls Dilip Kumar would ‘be ready in a jiffy’ for event, reveals what happened if she was late)

Saira’s latest post

The latest Instagram post by Saira shows an old black-and-white photo of Dilip Kumar playing cricket. He has a determined look on his face as he holds the cricket bat like a pro.

Saira revealed in the caption that she loves this photo because the thespian once wanted to be a cricketer. She wrote, “I always love to see this photograph as I know of his yearning as a youngster to become the country’s best sportsman! However, The Almighty and Fate had fashioned a very different destiny for Mohammed Yousuf Khan… at that time, every evening after college he always went to the grounds behind the Metro Cinema to play cricket and football with passion. With other like minded sports enthusiasts… Sahibji sweetly narrated to me how with great excitement he purchased his first cricket bat and sports shoes from a shop near Metro Cinema…! The athletic side of Dilip Sahib was so strong while in school and college that he emerged a winner and victorious also in every 200 meters race.”

Dilip taught Saira bowling

In the caption, Saira also recalled how her late husband once taught her how to bowl. This was in preparation for a benefit cricket match, in which she played in late actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor’s team. She even fetched a compliment from Raj Kapoor, a dear friend of Dilip Kumar, for her newfound bowling skills.

Saira wrote, “A funny incident I recollect was when we were just married.…Once all the film stars got together to play a benefit cricket match…. Sahib ji trained me for a week long in our garden for bowling… we were to play in Dilip Kumar Sahib’s Team and Raj Kapoor Saab’s team.…With my bowling… can you believe I bowled the captain out first ball…to which Raj ji could not stop laughing “Arrey, yeh ladki toh serious ho gayi hai”…eventually I bowled out 8 of them.”