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Follow UsLast time, I’d left you all hanging in there by name dropping a few culinary treats towards the end. I want to say that that won’t happen this time, but there’s only one way of knowing that, right?
Anyways, Hyderabad provided us the much needed respite from Chennai’s heat. The weather was a lot cooler, the roads were a lot better, and our stay wasn’t the worst - to say the least.
We were here to cover the Pakistan - Sri Lanka fixture, and were a bit sceptical about the kind of reception we would see in Hyderabad, considering both sides were playing for the first time in the last decade.
Also, unlike our previous travels, we were arriving on match day for the first time because of the shorter gap between the India - Australia and the Pakistan - Sri Lanka encounters. This also meant that we had to head to the stadium straight from the airport. Any detours, and we could miss out on potential pre-game fan interactions.
It was encouraging and surprising to see quite a bit of support for both sides in the stadium. It also helped that the game ended up being a high-scoring thriller. The kind that spectators hope for when they arrive at the stadium.
Post the game, we got to meet quite a few fans who’d flown in from Colombo, Kashmir, and the UK to show their support.
“Mohammad Rizwan was a treat to the eyes,” said a Team India fan from Singapore who was in town to catch the World Cup. The match that had four centurions saw Pakistan end up on the right side of the line, as they chased down 345 with 10 balls to spare.
Do check our FanCam out to know more on what neutral spectators had to say about the game.
Anyway, the match out of the way on our first day in the city meant that we could focus on trying to cover Hyderabad as much as possible in the next couple of days.
Google places to visit, and rest assured that you will find Paradise Biryani featured in every such list. So iconic is the place that everyone from top actors to sportspersons to politicians have dined in this eatery.
While we had all been duly warned about the place being overrated - it’s not just a cricket thing, mind you - we decided to give it a shot anyway. And we did not regret the decision one bit. Like I mentioned previously, the kebab, biryani, and the double ka meetha we had at Paradise was as good as it can get, and a must-visit for anyone visiting Hyderabad.
Despite all the places of cultural and culinary significance in Hyderabad, our most memorable experience of the city and, potentially, the trip was our visit to the Coaching Beyond Academy - the brainchild of former Team India coaches Bharat Arun, R Sridhar, and Ravi Shastri.
As a cricket fan, it’s hard for me to not fanboy over any member who’s been associated with the national side. And when it’s someone who’s also been responsible for the fielding revolution that we’ve seen with the Indian team in the recent past, my excitement knew no bounds.
We had a chat with him about the academy, the vision behind it, the facilities they provide, amongst other things. Later on, I finished a couple of my online commitments from his office, giving me a chance to pick his brains in a one-on-one, rookie-to-expert conversation.
I asked him questions ranging from what it’s like to manage such big names, to the kind of fielding strategies they would come up with for games, to the amount of detailing that would go into such plans.
He indulged in my annoyance with great humility, almost making me feel like I was some version of an international cricketer. With the India - Afghanistan game happening in front of our TV screens, I brought up Siraj’s poor outing to him, and he had only one thing to say.
“Bouncer daala ki nahi?”
Having captured most of our experience there on camera, we decided to make an unwilling exit from the academy to get a much needed break for the night.
Our final day in the city of Nizams was spent covering a couple of their landmarks; Golconda Fort and Charminar. Both being historic monuments - the former being built in the 13th century while the latter was built a couple of centuries later.
The Golconda Fort or whatever is left of it does not make for the prettiest of sights, but it’s place in history ensures that it never goes out of relevance. But Charminar was an interesting sight, for where else will you see a historic monument being surrounded by a flea market packed to the brim with visitors.
With that, we moved from one bad (read city) to another - Ahmedabad. We were back here for the most awaited World Cup clash, India vs Pakistan. To call the on-field rivalry one-sided is an understatement of the highest order. But this is one such occasion where things off the field tend to take precedence over what the players do on it.
The one-sidedness was once again on display as 132,000 fans and 11 players blew the visitors away with a resounding victory. Pakistan were 150/2 at the halfway stage and it seemed like we were in for a close encounter, before Jasprit Bumrah dashed all hopes.
We had fans who were acknowledging of the intensity and gave credit to their opponents, fans who didn’t think the visitors deserved to be here, fans who’d rather win this game and lose the World Cup more than anything. All in all, it was a great experience for all of us to be a part of something that is perceived to be bigger than us.
If 14th October was big, 15th was grander. It was the first day of Navratri, and we decided to capture some of the celebrations (dandiya and garba, of course). 10,000 people, 10 acres of space, plenty of songs and plenty of food - the carnival vibe of the event was right up there with other events I’ve been a part of. No wonder, Gujarat has survived being a dry state for over 50 years.
On that sober note, it’s time for me to end this piece sitting in the Ahmedabad airport lounge, waiting for the flight back home. Bangalore, it’s time for fans to know what the ‘garden city’ is all about. Don’t worry, people. You won’t be disappointed.
