JOIN US'The City Market is quite amusing'
The IPL tour is an omnibus caravan of sorts. It is not that you have to be in the team to travel with the boys.
Dirk Nannes, who was in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season and is not a part of it this year, has been touring with the team and supporting them as much as he can.
After a couple of matches last year, Dirk sustained a side strain and was ruled out of the IPL. He was replaced by Chris Gayle.
“Of course, I miss playing this season but I’ve come along not only to lend support but also as a tourist. My family is travelling with me and I use my spare time to tour the city the team is playing in and perhaps play a few rounds of golf as well,” Dirk tells Metrolife.
While the RCB boys sweat it out on the field, Dirk has been touring different parts of Bangalore like the City Market and shopping malls, beside the interiors of the State.
“Many would frown at the idea of walking through the City Market. Even some of my Indian friends think the stench is unbearable but I found it quite amusing. The place bustles with an energy of a different kind. There are so many things that you get in City Market that you really don’t get elsewhere,” he says.
Dirk says that he loses no chance to soak in every aspect of the City whether it is a drive in an autorickshaw or finding something new to do when stuck for hours in the Bangalore traffic. “My kids really love the ride in the autos which they call the ‘tuk tuks’.
They insist that my wife and I take them and are not content with one or two rides,” he beams. Dirk feels the RCB has a very promising set of young players. “I am sure Mayank Agarwal is one to watch out for. This kiddo has some great talent. It’s quite humbling to play alongside Indian players,” he says.