Mischief Gal

It feels great to be back in Delhi!

There is something unique about Delhi and the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium. Back in the states, most athletics teams have a mascot, and it’s usually an animal. We have noticed every time we come to the Delhi stadium that we always see the same dog lying outside our dressing room sleeping the day away. Therefore we have named him the team mascot. He is such a cute dog. I think the people working at the stadium actually help take care of him.

After our double header Monday night we were all pretty exhausted but wanted to make sure we used our off day to our advantage. We went to the markets in Delhi on a shopping spree again. Some of the girls need to buy an extra suitcase just to lug all the souvenirs and gifts back home! We went to the Dilli Haat and they had the most amazing selections. We bought shoes, scarves, gifts and pretty much everything you can think of.

Just got back to Delhi after an awesome four days in Bangalore, where we performed at three games and managed time to see some of the city. We loved Bangalore and were really impressed with the brand-new airport.

Our first game in the Bangalore stadium was such a rush and an amazing feeling. The crowd roared as we ran out on the field and it felt great to get such a warm reception. The stadium was pretty packed for all the games, especially Bangalore v Delhi.

That game had such an incredible vibe and everyone was pumped. We all were treated to some brash hitting by Veeru and Gautam as Delhi helped themselves to some runs. However, the real thrill and crowd support was for the Bangalore team’s very own Ross Taylor. He didn’t let us rest with all his relentless hits and singlehandedly took the match away from the Daredevils, and yes, I think he is very cute too.

On Friday we hopped on a Kingfisher flight and headed to Bangalore. Our flight was delayed so we ended up hanging out at the airport for a few hours. We all grabbed some food, and while some of the girls dined on the traditional Indian cuisine, others opted for some fast food. Yes we are in an amazing country with beautiful curry, chicken etc, but some of us were weak and headed toward the KFC line. Hey, sometimes you slip up right?!

The flight was nice and we ended up sleeping most of the time. Upon arrival we noticed how clean the airport was, and we were told it is one of the newest airports in India. Very nice.

We loved our hotel and were greeted by our hosts and briefed about what we could expect over the next few days. We will be attending some White Mischief events and photo shoots and are really excited about meeting the people of Bangalore.

We were so excited to visit the Taj Mahal a couple of days ago. It was the first time for all of us, so we knew it was going to be quite the event. After cheering at a double header the day before and not going to bed until around 3am, we were up and ready to get on the bus heading to Agra at 5am. We all brought pillows, so we could sleep on the bus and cuddled up for the four-and-a-half hour drive. Pretty soon it was light out again. We reached Agra around 10:30 am, pumped to see one of the most famous wonders of the world.

Our guide leader, Mansi, whom we all love and adore, accompanied us on tour and we had a local tour guide from Agra named AD. He took us all around the Taj Mahal, explaining the history of it and why the king built it. He explained that a lot of newly-wed Indian couples come here after they are married, as it is considered very romantic. We all kept thinking of who we would come there with next time… hopefully someone romantic!

One of the girls on our team was born in India and lived here for nine years before coming to the States. She is a gorgeous and petite little girl and I think our tour guide AD developed a crush on her. Every time we would move to the next monument or AD would start to explain the next portion of the tour, he would ask where she was and make sure she was standing right by his side. It was quite comical for the rest of us.

Ever since we landed in India, everyone’s been asking us how much we know about cricket. To be honest, only a few of us were here last time around and most have little or no knowledge about the game, but each one of us was excited for our first game at the stadium, which was a double header.

We were told about the passion and excitement of Indian cricket fans, but seeing is believing. The crowds were huge and kept pouring in for an hour. Amy, Michelle, Marla and I were clubbed together and were all very nervous before the start. Well, I wouldn’t really say nervous, but with huge butterflies in our stomachs whirling around, seeing the enormous crowd.

As the match progressed, and as we hit the podium, the crowds swayed with us. It was an amazing feeling to have thousands and thousands of fans out there gyrating with you at every boundary or wicket. We had so much fun interacting with the crowd and performing tricks. We were looking forward to the local game but unfortunately the home team didn’t turn up well and lost. We missed Viru and Gautam hitting boundaries with those big bats of theirs.

We landed in India on the 4th, about midnight. I was excited about my second visit to India and was looking forward to be a part of the buzz the country is all about - the people, the food, the smell, the enthusiasm, everything.

The 14 of us took different flights as we were coming down from different parts of the US. It was good to meet some known and new faces, all 14 set to dance, cheer and make merry in an entirely new world and sport.

Our first day was more of a rest. It was pouring down and the view from the hotel looked awesome, with big, dark clouds sprinkling little drops on the trees.