Vaibhav Tripathi in Dubai
They say firsts are always special, and I couldn’t agree more. From the first time I watched a live match on TV in 2007 to now, stepping onto the grand stage to cover the very sport that shaped my dreams, this is the kind of story that destiny pens with a knowing smile.
As I boarded my flight to Dubai, the gentleman seated beside me, with the warmth of a fellow traveller, asked, “What takes you to Dubai?” The moment I uttered the words “I’m covering the Champions Trophy,” his eyes lit up. What followed was a barrage of questions. “Who’s the strongest team this time?” “When will Jasprit Bumrah return from injury?” His cricketing curiosity spilled over like an eager fan waiting for the first ball to be bowled.
The same scene played out again, this time on the Dubai Metro, where I found myself in conversation with two Pakistani fans from Karachi and another from Bangladesh. Strangers by name but united by a shared language, cricket. We spoke of unforgettable matches, the evolution of the sport, and the passion that makes us all wake up at odd hours just to catch a game. It was a reminder of cricket’s most magical quality: its ability to forge connections across borders, generations, and cultures.
Covering any tournament is an honour, but an ICC event? That is something else entirely. This is not just another assignment. It is an initiation, a baptism by fire into the grand theatre of sports journalism. The Champions Trophy, a battleground where only the best earn their place, will be my first major test. As I start this journey, I know one thing for certain. Whatever happens over the next few weeks, I am exactly where I am meant to be.
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The towering structures of Dubai form an imposing skyline, but inside the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, another kind of theatre will unfold. It is here that I will find my voice, fingers dancing over the keyboard, trying to capture not just the scorecards but the pulse of the game because cricket is not merely a sport; it is poetry in motion, an art form where strategy and skill entwine in a battle of wills. And I am here, privileged to bear witness to it all.
I am the newcomer, eyes wide with wonder, ears tuned to every whisper of strategy, every anecdote exchanged. Yet, as nervous as I am, I remind myself that I, too, have a story to tell.
My task is to weave narratives from numbers, to find the human in the heroics, the vulnerability in the victors. It is not just about who wins, but how they win. It is about capturing the steely resolve in a batter’s eyes, the quiet determination of a bowler measuring his run-up, the eruption of a crowd when the wicket falls or a player celebrating a milestone.
And then, there is the romance of Dubai’s Ring of Fire. The stadium, bathed in an ethereal glow, will become a battlefield where teams will fight it out. The sounds of cricket, the rhythmic chants, the excited murmurs, the collective gasps, will blend seamlessly with the pulse of this ever-moving city.
I am here to chronicle it all. To listen, to watch, to translate fleeting moments into words that will live beyond the final ball bowled.
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