Soaking in all the sights

First hand

The IPL fever is encompassing. India’s premier Twenty20 cricket tournament is fun not only for the cricketers and the millions of fans who follow every ball that is bowled and thrashed with religious fervour but also the wives, parents and children who are part of the players’ entourage.

While the men sweat it out in the grounds, their families venture out to explore the city they are in  – its food, culture and of course shopping are an integral part of the itinerary. The women make sure they get a wholesome experience of the cities they visit across the country.

Metrolife interacted with the families of a few of the cricketers who shared their experience of each of the cities they have visited and their love for the game. 
 
Daniel Vettori’s mother Robyn Vettori is accompanying Daniel on his IPL tour. She says that Daniel has been playing cricket since he was five years old. “We’ve always encouraged him to play cricket. While his passion for the game is endless, he makes sure he spends quality time with his family and kids when he’s off cricket,” says Robyn. She and her husband have toured several parts of the country. “We visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, Jaipur and Nagpur. India has an interesting history and each place has a distinct identity,” she adds. And when it comes to food and shopping, Robyn hasn’t missed a thing, “I’ve bought myself a salwar kameez. It’s comfortable and I was excited to get into something traditional,” she observes. Robyn doesn’t seem to mind the spicy food and has tried almost all the Indian dishes, her favourite being paneer.

More than the World Cup it is the Indian Premier League that excites Dirk Nannes’ family but it was the opportunity to explore India that pushed his wife Erin Nannes to bring along the kids on their IPL tour. “My father was born in Pune and then shifted to Australia but not once did we come back to visit India. When I heard Dirk was coming to India, I didn’t want to miss the chance to tag along,” she says. Erin along with her five-year-old son Max and three-year-old daughter Ayla have explored the malls, UB City and even taken a ride in the autorickshaw, which they call tuk-tuks. “I haven’t been able to shop much but the kids simply love travelling in the tuk-tuks,” she adds.

Erin says that she has no complaints as far as food is concerned. “I love the food here and even the children have taken a liking to the variety we get at the hotel. But we keep off spicy food,” says Erin and adds, “we love chicken tikka.”

Alison Jennings, wife of the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Ray Jennings confesses she didn’t know anything about cricket until she married Ray.

“After that it is cricket 24 hours a day and seven days a week. We discuss cricket all the time and our older son is also training in cricket. The sport has a lot of public support here in India,” says Alison.

She has travelled across the country and says she loves almost all the Indian dishes but hasn’t tried cooking any of them. “We travel to India often and are not new to the food, culture and its people, who are warm and friendly,” she sums up.