India, June 19 -- In 1992, Yorkshire had signed a historic deal as they roped in 19-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who became their first-ever overseas player. But pulling off the deal took a bit of convincing on both sides. While it was Suleman' Solly' Adam to played the role in persuading the English County club to consider Sachin, his friend and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, convinced Sachin to agree to it.

Suleman, a cricket fanatic, who travelled from Gujarat in the post-partition period to Karachi and eventually settled in Leeds, Yorkshire, turned host for many Indian cricketers over the years, having arranged county deals for most of them. Sachin was among them.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Suleman recalled that in 1992, Au...