Twin encounter with foreign cricketers

En route
On the sunny afternoon of October 15, I was travelling from Bangalore to Jaipur. Since I am not too comfortable in air, I was looking forward to the midway halt in Mumbai where I had to change the flight to reach my final destination. To my surprise, this time the flight turned out to be relaxing. On board, the aircraft was well equipped with latest entertainment systems, but soon I figured out that the screen installed on my seat wasn’t working. ‘This was ought to be. After all, you can’t get everything,’ I thought.

Anyway. I landed at the Mumbai airport and was thinking of ways to somehow pass the three-hour gap. I found a nice seat, right in front of the TV, in the airport lobby, and started watching the India vs. England cricket match that was being played the same day in Jaipur. India played exceptionally well to win the game. I guess never before did I have such an easy and entertaining time between flights. Maybe that was the beginning of all the ‘good’ part of the trip that was in store!

I experience the unbelievable
I took the connecting flight to Jaipur. After the so-so in-flight dinner I hit the washroom. Just when I was returning to my seat, my eyes caught a familiar face. And for a few moments I couldn’t take my eyes off from this man because he was looking right into my eyes. When I realised what I am seeing, I froze for once. I was experiencing the unimaginable! I was face to face with Marvan Atapattu and Jayasurya. And when I looked around I saw Muralitharan and the rest of the Sri Lankan team sitting together.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I wanted to wave at them, say hello, shake hands, take their autograph, photographs, etc. But suddenly I became watchful. Since many people in the flight were having forty winks, I had to resist the temptation to grab the first-of-its-kind experience of my life. With excitement rushing all over in my body, I went back to my seat and started planning how I can meet them when we land. Finally, 30 minutes later our flight landed at the Jaipur airport. And soon everyone on board realised that we all were sharing the flight with Sri Lankan cricketers. Everyone was trying to make out who’s who. While all this was happening around me, I realised that it is not easy to map a celebrity’s TV image to his real face.

At the airport I found my way to reach the team, and wished them luck and happy stay in India. Together we picked up our bags from the baggage belt. The only thing I regretted was that I had packed my camera in my bag, and missed the chance of taking pictures that would have been invaluable for me. Bidding the team adieu, I immediately called up friends and family to share the experience. And they all seemed equally excited as I described what had happened.

My luck strikes again
I stayed in Jaipur for five days and on October 19 I was at the airport again. This time I was going to Delhi. I was sitting in the waiting lounge when I saw the airport workers pulling bulk baggage on trolleys. These bags looked identical and had Pakistan flag (moon and star on a green background) marked on each. Like a flash I recollected that recently Pakistan cricket team played against West Indies in Jaipur. And before I could think of any other reason for those bags to be there, I saw a group of people entering the airport. They all had good athletic built, and were none other than Pakistani cricketers.

I couldn’t believe my luck! Not again. And this time I had my camera too. Without wasting a single moment I got ready with my camera and MindTree diary. As soon as the team got settled in the waiting lounge, I clicked a few pictures because I thought they would be there only for a few moments.

I approached the Pakistan team captain Younis Khan and asked him in Punjabi, “Kithhe jande payo?” (where are you going?) He replied politely, “Sanu dilli jana hai” (we are heading to Delhi). I was thrilled with the answer and thought, ‘Wow! One more flight with cricketers.’

The amusing MindTree logo
The flight to Delhi got delayed by 30 minutes, and gave me ample time to take autographs and click more pictures. I went ahead and handed over my diary to Waqar Younis, the Pakistan bowling coach who was travelling with his wife, for an autograph. Before signing he looked at the MindTree logo watermark on the page and started flipping through the pages. He looked at me and asked, “What does this picture mean?” “It is MindTree’s logo,” I said. And then I told him the story behind the formation of MindTree’s logo by a student of spastic society. Impressed and touched by it at the same time, he smiled and said, “Bahut khoob” (well indeed).

Farewell
From a distance I watched these players crack jokes on each other, laughing together. I also had a chance to talk with few other team players sitting next to me—Rana Naved (bowler) said he likes Hindi music and movies; Shahid Afridi (batsman) was unhappy because of extra travelling to Delhi for security reasons; And Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper) was feeling dizzy because of Ramzan fasting.

An hour later we were in Delhi. All flight passengers waved the team a nice goodbye before they disappeared in the security bus that was specially arranged for them at the Delhi airport.

I think it was predestined for me to take this tour and meet these cricketers… a thrill I can never express enough in words and an experience that is unforgettable for life.