Dominant Victory Followed By A Quixotic Development

The International Cricket Council requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India to tell former India captain M. S. Dhoni to not violate the apparel rules that limits the number of logos and more importantly to avoid displaying any symbol that is political in nature.

- K.C Vijaya Kumar

A June 2nd dawn turns into a blur at the Chennai Airport. Check-in, immigration and security clearance, are all rushed through. The CISF guard, just as he stamps the boarding pass, asks: “Where do you live and where are you going?” He hears a mumble— “Chennai, going to London”. But it is impossible not to pause a bit and utter the next few words: “Going for the WorldCup.”Reticence vanishes, vanity prevails and the security personnel are agog. “Arrey, waah, WorldCup,” they utter.

The British Airways flight cruises over the southern peninsula and as the lost 40winks make a belated appearance, the map on the mini-TV in front shows that the plane is cutting across the Arabian Sea. A large part of the flight ebbs away in sleep, except for the brief interludes of breakfast and lunch. Daylight soon streams in and as bleary eyes blink and open, the aircraft is soaring past Eastern Europe before going over Germany. The highlight, though, is the sighting of the Alps, rugged mountains with its tips coated in snow and reflecting the sun. If there is something called a luminous white, this is it. Soon, the aircraft darts across the English Channel and the United Kingdom emerges into view.

Touchdown in London’s Heathrow Airport is smooth but it is a tale of so near and yet so far as the connecting vestibule to the exit, is as the pilot wryly says “stolen”. Passengers sit for another 20 minutes before the mess is sorted. Immigration is a breeze, then some time is lost at the DutyFree console but the pirate’s dark drink, brewed from molasses, isn’t available.