Perth: After the cool weather in Melbourne, it was a rather hot Perth that welcomed Team India ahead of their games against the UAE on Saturday and West Indies on March 6.
Daytime temperatures hover around 40 degrees Centigrade and, as soon as you check into any hotel, the receptionist tells you to make sure to apply sunscreen, always wear a hat and always carry a bottle of water before going out.
A five-minute walk from where I’m staying is the Hyatt Regency hotel, where the Indian team is put up, and another 15-minute walk from there is the Western Australia Cricket Association ground, famously known as the WACA.
Hundreds of fans could be seen hovering around Hyatt to catch a glimpse of the Indian players and their patience was rewarded when they got to see Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Virat Kohli.
After being in a metropolitan city like Melbourne, one gets a feeling that Perth is a sleepy town. In fact, the WACA ground is located in the eastern region of Perth and one has to pass through colonial era cemeteries which make the place seem even quieter.
Since I live and work in the UAE, many Indian journalists came up to me wanting more information on the UAE team players. Most were curious to know their job details since this is the only team in the World Cup that has amateurs who have taken leave from their jobs to play for the World Cup.
As we got chatting about the UAE team’s composition and their regular jobs, a scribe remarked: “So the Indian team is waiting to play a team made up of four bankers, one flight purser, a police officer, two marketing executives, a cargo loader and a cargo supervisor.”
I smiled in acknowledgement.
The WACA is located close to the Swan River and by evening the cool breeze from there makes it ideal for day-night cricket.
Following Chris Gayle’s breezy double century against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, fans here are excited to see him in action again.
Since Sachin Tendulkar also made his One Day International double century on the same day a few years back (February 24, 2010), a journalist came up with the suggestion that February 24 be declared ‘double century day’.
Since Gayle thrashed the Zimbabwean attack so mercilessly, many are wondering what he would score against the associate countries. “Like fielding restrictions, the ICC should impose some restrictions while Gayle is batting against associate countries — like he should hit only one six and a boundary per over, or make it mandatory he should run at least two singles every over,” it was said.
A volunteer at the ground, who witnessed Gayle’s 102 in the third and final Test against Australia here in 2009, said: “West Indies lost that match by 35 runs, but Gayle’s century off just 72 balls was special. He hit six sixes, all of them so very powerful, and nine boundaries. He was player of the match and series.”
