Soaking in the sights

Baby's day out

While the men sweat it out in the cricket pitch, their families venture out to explore the city they are in and its food and culture. Shopping usually tops the itinerary.

South African cricketer Rilee Rossouw, who is part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, in this season of the IPL, is a happy man. He’s travelling with his six-month old daughter Robyn Lee, wife Marike Jana and his parents. Robyn, though, is an old hat on cricket  circuit. She has already done the recent World Cup tour in the Oz.

Marike and Rilee dated a couple of years before they got married. There’s not much of an age difference between them and Marike confesses that they are more like friends. “We met through common friends, soon the bond grew and we decided that we should be together. We wasted no time in getting married. It’ is solid understanding that has helped us survive the pressures that come with being a cricketer’s wife,” she says. Marike is not new to the IPL and has been travelling with Rilee. “Four years ago, when I came along with Rilee, we travelled to Jaipur, visited the elephant park and even got a bit adventurous by kissing a snake during one of our tours. This time I haven’t ventured out too much because our daughter Robyn is too small,” explains Marike.

She says that Rilee, when he is not playing cricket, spends all the time with Robyn. “I think it’s Rilee who misses Robyn during his tours. He talks to her over the phone when he’s travelling but I don’t think the two of them are happy with just phone conversations. We decided to bring her along so that we get to spend some quality time together,” says Marike.

It’s not only Marike and Robyn who have accompanied Rilee during this tour, his parents have come along too.

“Robyn and I spend a lot of time in the hotel’s pool, move around in the malls and go to not so crowded places. Rilee’s parents tour Bengaluru whenever they get time. They’ve taken the ‘tuk tuks’ (autorickshaw), visited Tipu’s Summer Palace and walked through the markets. I am not missing the travelling bit because I did  all of that when I first came to the City,” Marike sums up.