A cricket captain meeting the Dalai Lama is not a regular happening. Australian captain Steve Smith greeting the Dalai Lama in traditional style appearing in the ‘Weekend Australian’ thus created a lot of interest.  

The picture spread over seven columns had a backdrop of the cricket ground at Dharamsala in the foothills of Himalayas.  The spiritual leader of the exiled Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama’s residence is at Dharamsala.

A couple of days before the final Test match against India, the Australian team visited Dalai Lama prompting the ‘Weekend Australian’ to use the catchy headline ‘Among the clouds Steve Smith prays for divine intervention’. “If Steve Smith looks for guidance in this crucial Test, it may be of a spiritual and not technical nature,” sports writer Peter Lalor penned. 

In keeping with the scenic beauty of the picture, he wrote that all eyes will be drawn toward the imposing Himalayan mountain range towering over the colourful cricket ground.

He added that Smith who rubbed noses with the Dalai Lama during the visit asked him for advice on getting a good night’s rest. “His Holiness was in a playful mood, grabbing the nose of the Australian security guard Frank Dimasi.”

Smith was quoted as saying later: “He is all about compassion and oneness for every human being and it was great to hear something like that from someone as prestigious as the Dalai Lama. If we can learn anything from it, it is that perhaps sometimes we get a bit over the top when we are out there playing cricket. It’s a tough game, but at the end of the day it’s just a game and you need to realise that at times.”

Addressing the team before the match he had said: “If things aren’t going your way in the middle you can just look up and know you are in a beautiful place and the Dalai Lama is not too far away.”

Of course, any spiritual overtures could not save the Australians who lost the match and the series.

The Dalai Lama’s three commitments 

The present Dalai Lama – the 14th to become spiritual leader of the Tibetan people – frequently states that his life is guided by three commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the history of human happiness; the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the preservation of Tibet’s Buddhist culture; a culture of peace and non-violence. His Holiness fulfils these commitments through various activities including public talks, widespread international visits and publications.