India...

Madness...the first word that comes to mind since visiting the bustling city of Mumbai. From the moment you step off the plane into the vast Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to the continuous sounding of car horns while swerving down the streets. Nothing will quite prepare you for the culture and immense passion the country as a whole holds for cricket.


As someone who generally doesn't travel particularly well deciding to fly on my own for the first time to India probably was about as steep of a challenge that I could have given myself, I also quickly found out that 4 hours in the airport along with a 8 hour flight gets very very boring when I haven't got my brother to irritate...however with no one to stop me I did have a bit of a splurge in duty free.

Knowing how difficult it was going to be once arriving in Mumbai having not been able to get any money exchanged before getting there its safe to say I was having a little bit of a panic as we were coming into land, being placed on an oxygen mask wasn't quite the start to the 'relaxing holiday' I had anticipated, naively getting off the plane I thought it would be a swift run through immigration but 2 hours later I was still queuing to have my visa fully checked.

After the slight travel blip and a fairly uneventful but eye opening taxi journey to the hotel to join up with my mum who had flown over the day before it was nice to finally relax. We were staying at the Trident Nariman Point, situated right at the very end of the promenade. With the hotel being 35 storeys high it offers a unique panoramic view across the city of Mumbai and Marine Drive.

Given I had decided to tag along with my mum only about 2 weeks before I was due to fly meant trying to get a room in the hotel was more than difficult, with both teams, journalists, along with a large majority of travelling fans also staying there meant most of the hotel was booked up and it was looking like I may have had to stay half way across the city. Then 3 days before I flew a room became available, having a room to myself was a privilege I didn't usually have when going away with mum so naturally I jumped at the chance...however given the way the holiday started I probably should have known it was too good to be true. Only two days into my new found freedom I found myself locked in the bathroom unable to open the door and suddenly wishing I wasn't the only one in my room. After a call to mum to try and break me out we found the door really wasn't budging and the hotel maintenance man would have to be called, nearly 25 minutes later he managed to unjar the lock...I think I learnt the hard way locking the door to the toilet when you're on your own probably isn't the smartest idea I've ever had.

With jet lag kicking in mid afternoon we took the opportunity to explore the local area knowing we had to pick up our tickets for the upcoming test match. Having spoke to people who had been to India before the walk alone Marine Drive was much more intense than I had prepared myself for. Even stepping outside the hotel having to go through whole body scanners to armed guards patrolling the perimeter gates of the hotel was a massive contrast to what you may be used to when going on holiday.

I'd been told prior to arriving that the locals have no inhibitions in approaching tourists with the hope of selling various items they have made, but until you've experienced it first hand its hard to be prepared for the tiny children running up to you in the street pulling on your arm trying to get your attention with seemingly no parents or anyone looking after them anywhere near. You can't help but wonder the background and upbringing in which they have.

Coming from England buying tickets for cricket matches is a relatively simple process, in India however is a completely different experience. Even though the tickets had been pre booked a while in advance actually getting the tickets in our hands proved very challenging, arriving at the gate where we were told our tickets would be we were met with a small crowd of maybe 60 or 70 people in no order trying to push towards the front where there were tiny windows and we could finally pick up our tickets.

Despite the hustle and bustle while collecting the tickets and the streets littered with hundreds of people the walk along Marine Drive during sunset was oddly peaceful, the view over the water with the city in the background was when the city seemed as its quietest.

The following morning we took the opportunity to visit some of the local tourist attractions, starting with The Gateway of India. Only a short taxi ride which were always very eventful we arrived about a 10 minute walk away from the gateway as the surrounding areas were covered with people trying to get as close as possible. When we got to the gates we were separated into two separate queues one for male and one female where you again walked through a full body scanner. The area in front of the Gateway had hundreds of tourists posing for the perfect tourist photo however I was surprised at the amount of locals who were also visiting it.

The only slight worry that we had when walking around the back by the harbour front was the extremely enclosed space packed with locals waiting to get on a boat meant trying to weave your way through was difficult anyways, however when young locals are also doing everything they can to take pictures with you it can be a bit scary not knowing exactly what is going on.

On my 3rd day was the start of the test match, the penultimate test in a 5 match series between India and England. With England already 2-0 down having struggled in the opening 3 matches India's confidence was exceptionally high going into the game. England had been dealt a harsh blow with their opener Haseeb Hameed being ruled out of the remainder of the series with a broken hand it meant Keaton Jennings was drafted in at very late notice with an almost guaranteed debut. When Alastair Cook called correctly winning the toss England were to make first use of the pitch to which Jennings on debut made no mistake, playing one of the best innings I have been lucky enough too see live reaching his first international hundred.

Although after the first day there wasn't as much for the travelling English fans to cheer about, Virat Kohli along with Ravichandran Ashwin showed their class, Kohli with the bat reaching 235 with assistance from Jayant Yadav in the lower order took India well past our first innings score. England struggled to get back in the game in our second innings with resistance from Joe Root (77) and Jonny Bairstow (51) we were unable to bat out the final day being bowled out for 195, India won the game by an innings and 36 runs taking the series 3-0 with the last game to be played in Chennai.

Despite the result going against England there was something unforgettable about the atmosphere in the stadium across the 5 days, the passion for cricket in India is indescribable and the adoration for not only the game but individual players has to be seen to be understood. One thing I wont forget in a hurry was the level of noise in the stadium when Virat Kohli reached his double century I felt as though I had momentarily lost all my hearing!

Another huge shock in culture was the local food, even though you were able to get a lot of 'English' food if you wanted too the opportunity to try out some local delicacies in small street cafes and bars couldn't be passed up. Each night we visited various restaurants on Marine Drive and also further into the heart of Mumbai were we visited the highly requested Leopold Café, a unique restaurant of tightly packed in tables with the strangest beer crate placed on the table to pour for yourself whenever you want too.

On one evening sitting in the bar we got talking to a local businessman who lived in Bangalore but worked in Mumbai during the week, along with the barman we were told all about Mumbai from a locals perspective, how they refer to it as Bombay over Mumbai because that's how they grew up knowing it. They also gave us an insight into the impact on tourism and locals the terrorist attack on Mumbai on November 26th 2008 had, with over 200 people being either taken hostage or killed in the acts along with many more who fell victim in other locations across the city.  



All in all I learnt a lot about visiting completely different culture from starting the trip on my own to the cricket and the overall experience. Again travelling with the purpose of cricket we met so many new people who were either staying in our hotel or while on nights out the Barmy Army, England's largest travelling group. 

Mumbai was an experience I will never forget.