Ahead of the fourth and final Test that will decide who gets to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Steve Smith-led Australian cricket team sought the blessings of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at his McLeod Ganj monastery in Dharamsala.
Smith was happy meeting the apostle of peace as not everyone gets to meet the global leader.
Later, the Australia captain himself revealed that he had asked the noble laureate about how to get a peaceful sleep during a high-pressure Test match.
Asked about the meeting, Smith said:
“Yeah, it was great. I asked him a question about sleep and how he could help me and he gave me his blessings. We rubbed our noses together (a greeting gesture in Tibetan culture), and he gave me some blessings, so hopefully it’ll help me with my sleep over the next five days.”
The Australian team proved to be lucky that they got to meet the spiritual leader as the touring England team in 2013 visited the monastery but could not meet him.
Asked what the team can take from meeting the Dalai Lama, Smith said:
“Probably relaxes a little bit. He is all about compassion and fondness for each and every human being. It was nice to hear from someone as prestigious as the Dalai Lama. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. If we can learn anything from it, we probably get overboard at times as cricket is a tough game. At the end of the day, it is just a game and you need to realise it.”
Images: PTI