Sharmistha Gooptu in London
“Which of these two is that balcony? The famous one!” I asked a colleague who is a veteran at Lord’s. He laughed and pointed out: “That’s the one with the Indian flag flying.”
The balcony of course etched forever in our collective psyche and pop culture, where the then India captain Sourav Ganguly opened his shirt and waved it after India won the 2002 NatWest Series final against England. And it’s remarkable that today happens to be Dada’s birthday. The birdie marvels at the coincidence of her first visit to the Home of Cricket.
Watching the Indian team do their lap around the ground, their stretches and warm-up one wondered if this time around we will again have a moment or two that will become etched in our collective memory. Memory and the creation of iconic moments is often larger than wins and losses. It comes with resurgence and assertion – something this Indian team has shown well.
As the assembled Indian journalists take their pictures and start their live shows from the practice, I watch Jasprit Bumrah coming in to bowl at the nets. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant aren’t seen today.
It’s a cold day though sunny – a beautiful day. This Mecca of cricket is now buzzing with Indian journalists and broadcasters, now starting to bring in their heavy equipment on trolleys, security personnel and the practising team and their support staff. The sound of bat against ball at the nets. Bumrah has a funny exchange with our colleague, Debasis. Gautam Gambhir is caught in a rare moment with a broad grin, and everybody seems in good spirits.
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