07 June,2017 02:24 PM IST | London | Anand Vasu
There is almost nothing that can stop the good people of London from getting going first thing in the morning and rushing headlong into the melee that is the tube station
Team India
There is almost nothing that can stop the good people of London from getting going first thing in the morning and rushing headlong into the melee that is the tube station. While it's not quite the same as getting into a Virar Fast from Churchgate Station, the echoes of Mumbai's spirit in London are unignorable.
Only days after the attacks in Manchester, and the recent mowing and stabbing in London, the city showed no signs of being shaken or stirred.
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The Indian team, however, were laid low yesterday, a cold, wet, grey morning ensuring that there was no chance of getting a practice session in. The team did not mind the enforced day off, an unexpected holiday always being welcome.
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The team set out for lunch, not in any formal manner, but this group of Indian cricketers has proved to be a different bunch. Where in the past India's cricketers, especially the vegetarians, would go in search of Indians, who might give them a taste of home, this bunch is sampling sushi restaurants. One former India cricketer, who was allegedly an expert at wrangling invitations to Indian homes even when he was fielding on the boundary, explained the process. "See, you don't want a family who has just moved to England. They won't be missing home much and you probably won't get home-style food. You also don't want a family that has been here for three decades. Then they would have forgotten how to cook food like we do. The best case is someone who has been here about 10 years," he said.
The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli, however, have no such longings. After sushi, it was Nando's where they enjoying the healthy virtues of grilled chicken with fiery peri peri sauce.
If the rain ensured India had a welcome break, the fact that it was business as usual, despite the edginess caused by the wailing or police and ambulance sirens, the belief that the show must go on is one that Indians are familiar with.
