Race against time before World Cup delight
The lengthy process to obtain the visa, the race against time to reach the venue and the many annoying obstacles along the way felt worth it after getting to see the Bangladesh team begin their campaign in the ICC ODI World Cup with a dominating win.
The rollercoaster ride began right from when this reporter applied for an Indian visa, which finally got granted on October 5 - the same day the World Cup began.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The next challenge was to reach the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, the venue of the Tigers' opening match of the World Cup, in time.
With no direct flights available to Dharamshala from Dhaka, this reporter and a colleague from the office had no other choice but to take a flight to Delhi on October 6 and then go to Dharamshala by road.
After reaching Delhi in the afternoon, me and my colleague had to rush to the intercity bus station, hop on a bus and complete an 11-hour-long overnight journey to reach the picturesque city of Dharamshala.
There was no time to enjoy the breathtaking natural beauty of the city as we had to rush towards the stadium right after checking in to the hotel as there was about an hour to go before the Tigers begin their World Cup campaign.
It took about another 30 minutes or so to complete the formalities with the ICC officials to get the accreditation card to enter the venue.
The aim was to reach the venue before the toss. But by the time we finally stepped inside the press box, the Tigers were already dominating Afghanistan courtesy of a double blow from skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
The hassle to reach the venue left me huffing, puffing and sweating all over. Still, it was satisfying to see Bangladeshi bowlers bundling out Afghanistan for just 156 runs and then the batters completing the chase successfully to give the Tigers a winning start to their World Cup campaign.
Comments