A week after participating in one of Test cricket’s most enthralling series, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon posted a picture of the autographed jersey he was presented by the India team, thanking Ajinkya Rahane’s side for the “kind gesture”.

While the gesture after Lyon’s 100th Test was met with mixed responses, Lyon’s posted picture was enough to set social media buzzing, with fans trying to dissect each player signature. Autographs have been an integral part of the sport for decades, and while none of us are expert graphologists, the collective pool of signatures from the Indian team did make for interesting viewing.

 

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At first, what sticks out is the small smiley faces below the signatures of Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal. Pant’s signature, in particular, garnered plenty of responses; many felt it perfectly captured his freewheeling personality and tongue-in-cheek humour.

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Kuldeep Yadav did not get a game in the Test series, but fans couldn’t help noticing the similarity in his autograph and that of Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the most popular signature in Indian cricket. The loop at the start does seem to mimic his bowling action though.

Shardul Thakur, who made a vital contribution in India’s Sydney triumph, had perhaps the most expressive signature of the lot, using ample space to put down a wavy autograph on the front and centre of the jersey.

Many wondered the reasoning behind the “100” below the autograph of Prithvi Shaw, whose struggles with the bat made him a target of constant criticism during the series. Most probably, it was a harmless mention of the jersey being a gift for Lyon’s 100th Test.

Wriddhiman Saha’s safe wicketkeeping couldn’t get much game time in the series given Rishabh Pant’s fine run of form, but the 36-year-old’s three-lined ‘S’ probably denoted his love for standing behind the stumps.

For some, Jasprit Bumrah’s contribution to the jersey, complete with a short build-up and jerky lines, perfectly captured his bowling action.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s dour batting style is difficult to be matched, so is his rather stiff autograph that ends with an interesting wiggle.

 

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