After the interview with Andrew Symonds at the pool deck it was time to catch up with friends from the Chennai team. It turned out to be an enjoyable hour as three players were soundly beaten in table tennis. Thilan Thushra challenged Manpreet Gony for a game of pool and won. The Sri Lankan walked away with a cool 1000 Rands for the win. It was later learnt Gony had won the same amount on the previous day. S. Badrinath was feeling the pressure of constant travelling. “The IPL has been fantastic but the constant travel is taking a toll.” The TN batsman is certainly missing his 6-month-old daughter.

Deccan Chargers is credited with having the most professional media manager. Interviews for all sections of the media has been arranged without fuss. The owner who takes the prize in this regard is Vijay Mallya. He has won the hearts of the media with his simple ways. The business czar who was reluctant to talk in Hindi was persuaded by reporters and he obliged. Once the talk started there was no stopping Mallya. He would have only wished he had more encomiums to shower on his Challengers.

Students of the Adinton High School visited the press box here in Kimberly. The youngsters who are in their last year of middle school want to pursue a career in media. They had a thousand questions to ask and wanted to know how work gets done. Poor kids didn’t know there is no work ever done from a press box. They were happy to learn more about India and her culture. Well imparting knowledge definitely gives a high.