1. RCB had a brief team meeting just before the first match. As the team was making its way out of the conference room, we found that the entire hotel staff was lined up in the lobby. They began the rhythm “Clap Clap Pause Clap Clap Clap” and it just went on and on with growing intensity. I still get the goose-bumps whenever I remember the echoing sound.

After the match, we found a huge cake with a chocolate bat in the lobby, waiting to be cut by the winning team. I told Sid “Haath ko aaya, muh na lagaya”.

2. During the match, I was seating in the corporate box as I had to chat with fans and Dale Steyn. This also meant that I had excellent food and unlimited booze at my disposal. Sid & Siva were in the Pavilion stand, which meant that they ordered food only after we were back in hotel-room. When Sid called the hotel-staff to clear the dishes at 2AM, I was lying asleep with face stuffed in the pillow.

While clearing the dishes, the waiter said pointing towards a horizontal me, “He must have been tired after playing the tough match”.

3. Siva’s room is on the fourth floor where the RCB team is staying, while Sid’s and my room is on the third floor. We have other teams and umpire as the neighbors. Security is tighter on fourth floor with 4 security guards sitting by the lift. Siva called me to his room to show some of the snaps. I wasn’t wearing the team jersey at that time and was stopped by the security guard for screening. Just when the security guard’s hands were probing my torso, Praveen Kumar passed by.

I said “Hi PK!”
Praveen said “ Kya haal hain bhai?”

The security guard didn’t check my legs for any explosives and let me off immediately.

4. Right now, if you go in Siva’s room, you’ll find a red RCB shorts on his bed. It belongs to a prominent RCB player. Siva has some explanations, but Sid and I see many chinks in the innocent plot.