Chewy nails and casino blues

After Sunday's game we headed back to the hotel and finished off all the last-minute packing - our luggage had to leave for Durban that night by road, though we were flying out the next morning. At this point I have to mention our team manager, Avinash 'George' Vaidhya. Anybody who has been part of a tour knows the logistical nightmares of moving from one location to another. At RCB, George is the man responsible for making sure everything is in place, and everybody and everything gets from one location to another on time! Not the most glamorous job in the world, but it's not just the players who make a team - the people in the background keep it together.

Anyway, after the packing, a few of us met in the hotel bar for a drink. It's always good once you've won a game to unwind all together, as the mood is positive. I met Ravi Shastri there, who told me how during the match he had said on air that I was looking nervous because I was biting my nails. I'd like to clarify that I bite my nails out of habit, and NOT out of nerves - even if we had won the game in the second over, I still would have been seen chewing my fingers off long into the night!

The next morning we left for Durban. Before leaving, I had breakfast with Gurunath, the owner of Chennai Super Kings, and a couple of his boys. It's always nice to meet and chat with other teams, and during the IPL, I formed quite a close bond with some of the people involved with other franchises. The cricketing world is actually quite small and is very close knit, so everybody ends up knowing everybody.

The team hotel in Durban is not the most glamorous of venues but does provide an awesome view of the coastline from the rooms. There is also a superb Indian restaurant next to the lobby, and that's where most of the squad flocked to after checking in. There is a huge Indian community here in Durban, and you can sense the excitement all around. It's really nice for the locals to have such big Indian names as Kumble, Dravid and Tendulkar staying in their city.

Later in the evening, a few from the management team headed to the casino. As much as I'd like to say I came away financially better off, the sad reality is that it was the house that won again. There's something very James Bond-ish about playing in a casino, though one rarely leaves with a pocket full of cash and a hot lady on the arm. Nonetheless, it was all a bit of fun.

So that's it for now. Keep watching this space for more news on RCB as we get closer to our next match.