When Suresh Raina came to Team India bus driver's aide during wife's illness

Jeff Goodwin, who is currently driving Team India around in England, said that the players are very professional and disciplined.

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When Suresh Raina came to Team India bus driver's aide during wife's illness
Jeff Goodwin (extreme right) has been driving around cricket teams in UK since the 1999 World Cup (BCCI video screengrab)

In Short

  • Jeff Goodwin is currently Team India's bus driver in UK
  • He praised the Indian team for being extremely disciplined
  • He also said that he will never forget Raina's sweet gesture few years back

Team India's bus driver Jeff Goodwin reveled some interesting facts about his life as a driver and praised the current team players for being extremely disciplined.

Goodwin has been driving teams since the 1999 World Cup and has been the assigned bus driver of most of the cricket playing nations. Goodwin adds that cricket has been changing over times and all the teams now are much more disciplined than before but he feels that the Virat Kohli-led team is the best of the lot.

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"I like the lads, there are all friendly. They are great to get on with but they are very disciplined. There is a changing way in cricket. In my times, it has changed so much. Australia will be drinking all the time after the game and staying inside the changing room till 2AM in the morning but now, not as much.

"And this team, particularly India, have never known a cricket team as professional, come out after the game so fast. This team is the best one," said Goodwin.

Also read - Zaheer Khan wants Ishant Sharma to step up in Test series vs England

He also remembers Suresh Raina's sweet gesture few years back when his wife was suffering from illness.

"Raina, few years ago in Leeds, he gave me his shirt to acution off. I've never forgotten that."

The Englishman also revealed where Team India skipper Kohli sits and he went onto add that Yuzvendra Chahal calls him an old man.

"Mr. Kohli sits in front and this gentleman here (pointing towards Chahal) calls me an old man."

To which, Chahal replied from the back seat: "Because you are."

Also read - Tendulkar hopeful of a good show from Kohli, Team India in England Tests

Goodman's son also drove the Indian team around England and also received a letter from the Indian government for a job well done.

"My son was driving the teams. He drove India and Tendulkar used to sit there (beside the driver) and he used to say your daddy is a big star. By the end of the tour, my son became a big star as well. He is only 21. Got a nice letter from the Indian government thanking me and him," Goodman said.

He also revealed what led him to have a tattoo of famous cartoon character Popeye.

"In 2004, when I was driving Australia, Darren Lehmann was then making drinks and he was a player then and he says 'You...we like you. We will give you a nickname and he was telling me all the players' nicknames and after a few days, he went, you are Popeye and everybody calls me Popeye and I've even got a tattoo of Popeye now."

India have so far played in Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, Nottingham, London and Leeds. Kohli's men will next play the first Test in Birmingham and that will be followed by Test matches in London, Nottingham, Southampton and then again back to London for the final Test at The Oval.