CRICKET FEVER in Dubai ahead of Champions Trophy

The Indian cricket caravan has rolled into Dubai for the Champions Trophy. Images from the airport, DXB in short, to the official hotel and the training centre have flooded social media already. India is the flavour and the contest against Pakistan next Sunday is already being hyped. Before that, the opener will be against Bangladesh, another nation with which India’s relations are now at a low ebb.

Cricket in the ODI format was seen as too long and boring. However, the way the viewership was generated for the India versus England series recently, this Indian side in Dubai will be chased by one and all. News trickling in from Dubai, tickets are still available for the match against  Bangladesh but are sold out for the marquee contest against Pakistan.

The focus on Team India will be on two men who are legends in white ball cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the past and present captains. What was also good to see was Gautam Gambhir not pouting at the airport but even smiling and engaging with some fans. This is the view from Dubai, as captured through images. The first practice session in Dubai was important in many ways. To hit the ground running, as they say, is important for India. What happened in the BGT Series, a disaster of sorts, cannot be forgotten easily.

This is not red ball cricket, this is white ball cricket, where India have been hyped. There is hope as well, since the team has peaked. The next few days before the match against Bangladesh will be important. Dubai is a place where the Indians do feel at home. It has been the case since the mid 80s, when Sharjah hosted the Asia Cup. A lot has changed since then in the UAE. Though this Champions Trophy is being hosted by Pakistan, officially, for India, it is all about being in Dubai. There are great memories from ages back.

At a time when the focus should be a 100 per cent on how well India can do in the premier ICC event, there are emotions attached as well. It is presumed King Kohli and Rohit Sharma are now heading into the end phase of their career. This could well be their last major ODI tournament is the buzz. That both the batters returned to form recently is good news. Both of them have a kind of cult following in Dubai for what they have produced in cricket. It actually makes one sad, when you think of cricket minus the two legends. They bid goodbye to the T20 format (international) after the highs of a World Cup triumph last year in the West Indies.

To presume there will be an encore will be dicey. Minus Jasprit Bumrah, the side looks weak in the main department of pace bowling. The batters are in great form from the top. But in the pace attack, Bumrah is a class act. He instils fear and destroys the batters in every format. His face was missing in Dubai, as he is now undergoing rehab at the high performance centre in Bengaluru. The support cast has to step up, Mohd Shami and Arshdeep Singh. Of course, the experience of Hardik Pandya cannot be ignored as well.

Back to Dubai, which has people from all over the world, the craze for cricket is massive. It will almost be a carnival, a “Kumbh Mela” of sorts in the desert duels. There will be marquee contests in Dubai. Definitely, India generates more views than what will happen in Pakistan, the actual host. India refused to go there, so the hot spot will be Dubai. Cricket fever is on, already. Fasten your seat belts.