We once confidently asserted that even Iain Sutcliffe’s mum’s favourite cricketer wasn’t Iain Sutcliffe. It is probably about time we came clean and admitted that we did not actually have any evidence for that.

It’s still probably true though.

My mum has never stated (nor even inferred) that I am the best at cricket. Perhaps that is where it all went wrong for me.

I’d really like to know what Suresh Raina’s mum thinks of this KC piece. And Virat Kohli’s mum.

May we have a series of “mums’-eye-view” pieces please, KC?

That is a pertinent point, particularly the ‘pampered by adulation’ element. Can young Indian batsmen see any value in sacrificing dominance, even if it means greater effectiveness overall?

Test Cricket requires dedication – there are days where one has to resign himself to the fact that you cannot score, but still be at the crease, fighting. That’s why the Dravids and the Laxmans are successful. Men like Richards and Lara who can dominate the opposition in any situation are few and far between. To succeed in test cricket, you have to have the humility to accept that you might not be the best after all, no matter what your mother says. It seems to me that the young Indian batsmen, pampered by fame and money and adulation, just cannot bring themselves to accept that.