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Lalit Modi who is known as the mastermind behind the Indian Premier League (IPL) currently lives in exile in Sardinia. Modi reflected on what he described as a tough childhood despite admitting he was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth. In a conversation with former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast the former IPL commissioner spoke candidly about the league his personal life and much more. Clarke began the interview with Modi by sharing details about his early school days. I was born with a diamond spoon. Not a silver spoon not a gold spoon but with a diamond spoon. And so I always grew up having everything. I went to boarding school at the age of five. It was tough. I went to seven different boarding schools by the way Modi told Clarke in the podcast. It was very tough. My grandfather was very strict. My father was very strict. I came up with a very strict upbringing. Modi also revealed in the podcast that when he was younger he was not very good at cricket but offered to be a scorer so that he could eat like the players on the cricket team. I was in the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla. The cricket team or the football team or the hockey team had these lavish lunches and dinners for them. When you’re in boarding school you’re always looking for that extra meal or the extra food. So if you were part of the cricketing squad you would get to eat with them. So as a young kid from the age of seven or eight I volunteered to be on the scoreboard. So I used to be on the scoreboard of the cricket and I had to change those numbers and do those wheels up and down and climb up high and sit there all day just so you could have a great meal said Modi. Modi also revealed that he paid a third party to sit for the SATs exam Additionally Modi also revealed that he paid a third party to sit for the SATs (Scholastic Assessment Test) a standardized exam used for college admissions in the United States. I was always the black sheep of the family and I always broke every rule in the book because I always wanted more and more and more. It wasn’t easy you know? I went to seven different schools. I finally ended up in Delhi and I flunked the 12th exam. But I fudged myself because I wanted to go to America because I wanted to go there and party. I had to get into college. And I got into every college. Somebody did my SATs for me. I got 1560 on 1600. It was my name and his picture. We got away with it in those days. You can’t today. When I went to college again I went to a place in North Carolina called Duke University. I was probably one of the very few Indians that were there and I never lived away from home as such outside the country. I was in boarding school so I knew how to make my bed. I knew how to live and look after myself from the age of five. But what made a difference was you went from a world in India to a totally developed first world America Modi added. Modi also recalled that during his early university years he often faced questions about life in India. People would ask him whether Indians drove cars or still traveled by bullock carts. I got used to that being picked on. I wasn’t very well built. I had to fend for myself and I didn’t have bodyguards and things like that in those days. So best thing was just give in and look the other way and move on and that taught me a lot he said. Story Highlights Lalit Modi opened up about his early school days in an interview with Michael Clarke says he was born with a diamond spoon Modi also revealed that he paid a third party to sit for the SATs for college admission in the US Modi revealed how he volunteered as a scorer as he was not good in cricket Modi also spoke about how he was often faced questions about his life in India