Inner Circle

After what was probably an unrealistically easy start to the tournament, we have been given a reality check by losing two on the trot. The first was to the South Australian Redbacks, when we were simply outplayed in every department by a professional and determined team who wanted it more. We lost the second to the Mumbai Indians because we gave away far too many runs in the last five overs - something we did in our semi-final clash against them in the IPL in April. This, however, was a classic game of cricket, and although it's a bitter pill to swallow to lose by two runs, I am thrilled that I was able to be part of such an exciting contest. I mean a game that boasts names like Tendulkar, Pollard, Zaheer, Malinga, Dravid, Kallis, Taylor, Kumble, Uthappa is always going to be a classic.

Enough from the cricketing side of things. While in Durban, I have been able to get the adrenaline flowing once again by going for a second skydive. I also did the world's highest 'swing' over the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which had hosted one of the semi-finals of the 2010 football World Cup. I have to say it was an amazing experience. A free-fall for 106 metres in a bungee, then swing a further 220 meters, to 20 feet above the pitch.

The day after the Redbacks game, the whole squad went to Shaka, which is a huge aquarium. We dived with the sharks there but from the safety of a cage! This was followed by an ocean walk. This was very amusing as our strength and conditioning coach Basu provided most of the entertainment with his hand signals! It was a nice day out with the boys and a good opportunity to bond. It's important in a short tournament like this to indulge in these sorts of activities away from the pitch to bring everybody closer.

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.

Our campaign has finally got underway. After watching some of the other matches, we know that we really have to be at the top of our game to go far in this tournament. There really is no room for error.

From a personal point of view, Sunday was a big day for UB Sports, as we had both our Formula 1 team, Force India, and our cricketers in action. Unfortunately the F1 team was was unable to repeat its heroics from last year at Monza, and we ended up without a point. Fortunately, however, the boys in red put up a lightning display, and we crushed Guyana. What was really encouraging was the performances of our two South Africans, Dale [Steyn] and Jacques [Kallis]. Both of them had slight injury concerns coming into the match, but they were able to put these behind them and came up with strong performances. Jacques was especially impressive, and he really showed his class with a superb all-round performance. His Man-of-the-Match award was thoroughly deserved.

What was also nice was the level of support we received. I have always said that RCB has the best fans out of all the teams, and this is something that I truly felt at the match. To see the love, passion and dedication of these fans was truly humbling and inspiring. Bear in mind that a lot of these people were locals, and others had made the trip from India just to support their team. If we owe anything to anybody as a team, it is to our supporters, and bringing the trophy back would be the best way to thank them for everything.

The Champions League is finally underway, and what a victory to start with for the Highveld Lions! Their determination and enthusiasm really got them going, though their execution of the basics was what finally gave them the upper hand. Going into the game, Mumbai Indians would have been the favorites, but this victory once again shows that anything can happen in Twenty20 cricket and the term ‘underdog’ is simply not applicable.

I remember last year’s tournament, when we opened against the Cape Cobras at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and after posting a score in excess of 180 we still went and lost the game - JP Duminy played a blistering innings. So I can sympathise with Mumbai because I know how it feels to lose a game after everyone had expected you to walk it.

I think that this is the beauty of T20 cricket, as it really requires a team to be on top form to win a game. As the games are so short, there really is no margin for error, and the team that executes the basics better on the day is going to most likely end up victorious.

While I've been here, I've tried to do some other activities away from the cricketing world. This has ranged from a couple of safaris to quad biking to finally jumping out of a plane! That’s right - I finally fulfilled one of my biggest ambitions and went for a skydive. I can't begin to explain what it feels like to be plummeting towards the earth from 11,000 ft, but I can highly recommend it to everybody - it truly was one of the best experiences of my life! The reason I've included this is because I think that it is equally important to get away from the cricketing side of things to clear one's head once in a while, especially in a tournament like this which is short but extremely intense.

Anyway, enough of my escapades. On Thursday, the coach Ray Jennings organised a trip to Soccer City, the stadium that hosted both the opening match and the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was really amazing to see the vastness of the stadium, and to be able to walk on the pitch (something that is not normally allowed). The lads all had a great time, and there was plenty of banter. From here, we went to the house where Nelson Mandela grew up in Soweto. And along with everybody else, I was really filled with a sense of awe to be standing so close to the place that such a great man once lived in. Truly inspiring.

Following on, we attended the kick-off concert where Enrique Iglesias performed. It was nice to see so many cricketers from the different teams in attendance. Before this started, each of the ten captains was introduced to the crowd, wearing their respective team kits. They then signed the ICC Spirit of Cricket pledge before rejoining the action. I have to say, without being biased, we definitely have the best team uniform! People will have all sorts of views about our squad but one thing’s for sure - we simply look the best!

So we were based at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria for a few days, before moving to Johannesburg. The facilities available were state of the art, and this is where the South Africa national cricket team meets up for training camps before embarking on international tours. The centre boasts many rugby pitches, soccer fields, and other facilities that encompass just about every sport imaginable. In fact, during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, it played home to the Argentina national team. A few of the locals who worked there were telling us about how they had to arrange a special golf cart to transport Diego Maradona, simply because he refused to walk even five feet!! They even had to install a 'special' toilet in his bathroom as he was too 'small' for the existing one! I am glad to say that our lads didn't have any such problems, and we found the facilities available to us most adequate.

The South African women's national netball team was also staying there, and they were a lot of fun! I must say however, that it was a pretty intimidating feeling to be surrounded by a group of girls with an average height of 7ft! The banter was good however, and there was a really light mood around the place.

Meanwhile, we've also played a little bit of cricket among all of this. We started with a warm-up game against the Central Districts from New Zealand, which we won quite comfortably. Robin 'Six'appa and Whitey put some balls into orbit, and Dillon ripped through the Districts batting line-up finishing with figures of 4/9.