Bengaluru’s Best Squares up to ‘Warriors from the West'
By Vikram Afzulpurkar
Ray Jennings remarked when stepping out of the lift two yesterday “It’s fighters we want. Indians are a skillful bunch but we want to identify those that rough it out so that we have more wins from situations like we experienced against Delhi at Delhi.”
Jennings said his boys were sprightly although rain robbed them of practice on Thursday evening, a day prior to the match against the Pune Warriors India who had trooped into the hotel at exactly the same time the Challengers’ bus was leaving for practice. So, the boldly red painted bus with its prominent name had to move a few feet ahead so that the arriving team could be met by the hotel’s staff in the customary style ; vermilion being anointed and a Mysore peta (hat) being presented.
By Vikram Afzulpurkar
Ray Jennings remarked when stepping out of the lift two yesterday “It’s fighters we want. Indians are a skillful bunch but we want to identify those that rough it out so that we have more wins from situations like we experienced against Delhi at Delhi.”
Jennings said his boys were sprightly although rain robbed them of practice on Thursday evening, a day prior to the match against the Pune Warriors India who had trooped into the hotel at exactly the same time the Challengers’ bus was leaving for practice. So, the boldly red painted bus with its prominent name had to move a few feet ahead so that the arriving team could be met by the hotel’s staff in the customary style ; vermilion being anointed and a Mysore peta (hat) being presented.
Virat Kohli dashed to the bus, thinking it was going to leave without him! We don’t know how soon the bus was able to get inside the stadium gates; For those familiar with Bengaluru’s roundabout route patterns caused by the one-way system, it would have had to go past the stadium, make a U-turn (at the General Post office as Bengaluru residents would know) and get stuck in a mini jam outside the stadium gate.
The support staff in a car made a U-turn at an alternative junction (Cubbon Park Police station) and realized what a jam had ensued here too. The team was warming up with football and just as the optimists felt the dark, cloudy skies would hold up, down came a drizzle and then a shower. ‘Practice’ halted.
Inside, Assistant Coach Jono shared some insights on how he kept some members of the larger group fit when the team was on tour. Ray motioned that he would like to use the indoor facilities. RC’s home ground boasts of the National Cricket Academy’s facilities and is a delight to have when the weather is foul.
Found at the nets were Mohammed Kaif and Zaheer Khan straightaway. Zaheer played some table tennis while Venky Prasad supervised the bowling via the bowling machine. Some of the players used the batting facility at the indoor net after which the bus left for the team hotel.
The team will have some net practice before the match and will leave an hour and a half early. It’s possible that they don’t want to be practicing when the Warriors will on Friday morning. After all, space can be a constraint for fielding practice even if it’s possible to provide nets to both teams.
While efforts are on to ensure practice sessions, these professionals know that it is in the mind. Having set a good rhythm, the Challengers go into the match against the Pune team with their confidence high. A win here will make them a serious threat in the championship.
Team RC fans, stand by your men!
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