Stars on a Holiday

The IPL season is over and the Indian cricket team is in Bangladesh, where they comfortably won the opener on Sunday. But if you couldn’t spot two of the biggest stars, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, on the ground and were wondering what have they been up to? We have the answer.

An interview with the super-duo

On the very Sunday, they were in the middle of a swarming Delhi crowd at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon for Disruptive by Design experience event as the brand ambassadors of Oakley. We caught up with the duo and found out what have they been up to.

Virat Kohli, who the girls in the crowd were calling after without a break, has been ironically enjoying the much-needed break. “I needed a break badly and so I went away for a few days. It turned out to be really good and revitalising for me. We had a really hectic season and now we have another one coming up. So yeah, I think I made pretty good use of the break. I went to the US for a few days with a couple of my friends. After that, I just spent some quality time with my family. Also, I went to Spain for a while,” says the cricketer who was reportedly spotted in Barcelona with actress Anushka Sharma.

Yuvraj Singh, who lives in Chandigarh, has also been spending some time in Delhi with his brother’s family. It was recently reported that his father is diagnosed with cancer. Yuvi shares that even though he went through the same; his father is dealing with it in his own way. He adds, “He is in good hands. I’ve been speaking to him. He’s had his operation and can’t speak much. But he’s recovering much better. I went to Shirdi to pray for him.”

Yuvi shares that when he is not playing, his days are pretty lazy with waking up late, watching movies and going out for coffee with friends. But these days, he has been following the World Cup. “In fact, I really wanted to go to Brazil for a couple of games but I’ve got some charity events in UK. I am supporting Italy and hope they win,” he says as he adds that he’s also looking forward to visit Italy or Spain when he finds some time.

Virat, on the other hand, loves South Africa. Asked what’s his favourite place in India, he adds, “In India, it has to be Delhi for me. But I love the mountains up north. I used to go there a lot as a kid. I’d love to go there again. But if you want me to chose one place, it has to be Delhi. It’s my home.”

Asked what he likes to do in Delhi, he adds, “I don’t like to go out much. It’s more about being at home, calling friends over and playing Playstation games and watching movies. Now World Cup is on so I am planning to call my friends almost every night to watch all the games. Calling your friends over and doing your own thing is much better than going to clubs and restaurants where you don’t want to get hustled by people.”

Pointing the scene outside, he adds, “I mean there’s no point if you have to organise a few people for your security to go out. It’s not fun. I’d rather like to do that away from home where people don’t know you and you can be yourself. Where you can just go and enjoy the ride rather than worrying who’s watching and who’s trying to hold on to you.”

So what do the two stars like to do when they travel? Do they just like to chill at a resort or are they the adventurous sort? Virat says, “Now as per our contracts, we’re not allowed to do adventure sports. But I am someone who likes the idea of trekking and camping. I’m more into that than jumping off the plains and doing sky diving and stuff. Even when I was in S. Africa, I did mountain climbing for exercise. You run around the mountain and you climb a bit. Then you run back. All those things I like to do. I am not really a height and a water person, so I can’t really experiment with that. But yeah, on ground, I would like to do more.”

You look at Yuvi for the answer and he quips, “I just like to hit the ball. But yeah I like to do a lot of outdoor activities too like cycling, kayaking and stuff like that.”

 

SACHINCREDIBLE

It’s a historic day in the history of cricket as Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar walks into the Wankhede Stadium to play his last match ever, be it in terms of any format of the game. The symbolism of this match lies in the fact that it gives millions of the fans of Little Master, five days (if the match lasts that long) to say their goodbyes, and come to terms with the fact that they will never be able to watch him play again.

Published on 15th November, 2013

As this match ends on Monday (or maybe earlier), it won’t just be the retirement of the god of cricket, but also of thousands of his fans (maybe millions) that might never turn to cricket again. It’s the end of an era, as one of them says.

“It was because of this man that I started watching cricket,” says Garima Malhotra, a die-hard Sachin fan. “I was just eight years old when I started watching him. Even though I didn’t understand the game, I still loved to watch Sachin bat. As my father tried to explain me what was going on in the match, even at that age I somehow realised that he was the only star in the game. For me, Sachin is cricket. It was for him that I started watching the game, and I believe his retirement will be my retirement too. After all, I stopped watching ODI’s when he retired from them, and I am sure this’ll be my last test match too.”

Such is the nature of the emotional connect of his fans that it doesn’t sound surprising when people see his retirement as theirs. So much so that they want to be at the same place as their god, when they retire along with him.

Sumit Tomar, who owns an IT firm in Gurgaon, is one of those fans who will be traveling to Mumbai to watch Sachin play one last time. “I had heard some speculations that his last match will be at Lord’s and I had all the plans to go there too. Call it an emotional connection, or anything else, no matter where he would have played his last match, I just had to be there. He not only deserves the credit for what he has achieved himself, but also for where the Indian team is today. After all, the Kohli’s, Sharma’s and Raina’s are here today only because they watched Sachin as kids and wanted to be like him. For me, that credit also goes to Sachin” he shares.

He’s another of the numerous Sachin fans who never missed even a single match for last couple of decades; and also one of those who plan never to watch cricket again.

Rupesh Agarwal, owner of a bike showroom in the city, however, doesn’t feel to say goodbye yet. “For me, this is not the end as I am going to watch his highlights over and over again, and follow any of his news that is telecasted on the news channels. And as far as seeing him live is concerned, I’ll wait for him to be the coach of the Indian team. When that happens, the junoon for cricket is going to be back,” he adds.

While, many of his fans are traveling all the way to Mumbai to watch him in action one last time, those who will be watching at home are no less prepared.

Tribhuwan Joshi is one such fan who will be glued to the TV like million others. He shares, “I am going to watch his every moment – on the field and off the field. I used to pray to God for his first two overs and didn’t stop till he used to connect the ball in middle of his willow. For the last time, I will pray to God that he scores a century and for this, I will keep one red handkerchief in my pocket as Steve Waugh used to do while batting. Though I don’t believe in superstitions, but I will do it just this one time, only for Sachin.”

While, it’s the end of a long innings by one of India’s biggest icons, the future of Indian cricket looks bright with the young crop of players living upto expectations. But when it comes to hardcore Sachin fans, nobody can replace him, not even India’s success in the game.

“When my friends tell me that Virat Kohli will fill his shoes and break all his records, I feel so angry and hurt. In fact I pray for him to get out early so he doesn’t score much. I don’t want anyone to come even close to my Sachin,” concludes Garima.

 

Let’s Have a Ball

Published on 16th April, 2013

In a dream come true, 64 slum children of Delhi get a chance to meet their favorite cricketers and interact with them as they take on the role of ‘Ball Boys and Girls’ for Delhi Daredevils’ home matches. The initiative branded ‘Muthoot Dus Ki Toli’ is a part of Muthoot Group’s CSR initiative to help underprivileged children, ‘particularly those who harbour real talent for cricket’.

Inderjit kumar Gupta, one such fifteen year old kid, got a chance to meet Irfan Pathan and ask him for guidance so he could become a famous cricketer one day. “It was such a nice experience to meet him and talk to him. Meine unse poocha ki aap itna acha khelna kaise seekhe? Unhone kaha ki mehnat karne se kuch bhi kiya ja sakta hai. (I asked him how he became such a great cricketer. He said that hard work can help you achieve anything.) I want to learn from his experience and become a great cricketer like him one day,” he said.

Avinav Chaubey, AGM Marketing of the Muthoot Group said, “We have a tie up with Delhi Daredevils for the last four years. Earlier, the kids of customers and staff members were selected through a competition to become the Ball Boys and Girls. But this time, we have launched a comprehensive campaign to benefit underprivileged kids.”

The selection of the slum children was carried out in association with an NGO called Magic Bus. The Chief Operating Officer of the NGO, Pratik Kumar said, “This opportunity will not only give them a chance to become ball boys, but will significantly expand these children’s exposure to the world beyond their immediate environment.”

Shubham Kumari, age 15, was delighted to meet Irfan Pathan, Mahela Jayawardene, Johan Botha and others. Feeling excited about being a ball girl, she said, “I had seen these players only on TV and it feels so amazing to meet them face to face. I want to meet Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni, and wish them ‘all the best’ before their match.”

The campaign that also involves some other initiatives to raise funds for the education of underprivileged kids, has arranged a special ‘Dus Ki Toli’ bus to take the kids to the stadium. They also get personalised sports apparel with their names and lucky numbers printed on them.

“It might not be a big deal for us but it means the world to these children. It was a sight for us to watch their happiness when they met Viru(Virendra Sehwag). It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to fulfil dreams of kids who never even thought of being a part of IPL,” said Avinav.