Photo-bombing Kohli, and other tales
Our correspondent goes gaga for the hills, the food and the people of the Caribbean, and briefly becomes a Twitter sensation
A photo can't capture the beauty of the Maracas Bay in Trinidad • Aishwarya Kumar/ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Exactly three years ago I got on an airplane from Washington DC to Florida for my first ESPN assignment - covering India's first official match in the US, against West Indies. I interviewed MS Dhoni, then India's captain, and later woke up to messages from friends and family excited on my behalf. And here I am today in Guyana, driving through pelting rain and winding alleyways to cover my first international cricket tour.
"I detect several accents. Where are you from?" the cashier at Oasis Café, a coffee shop in Georgetown, asks me. "Oh I am here for the cricket," I say. "You just missed the Indian captain and his wife - they were super nice," she says and shows me a picture she snagged with Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.
"How are you?" I ask as I get into Clyde Andrews' taxi. "You know, I am a content man," he says. "I am always going to say 'I am happy' when you ask me that question."
Port-of-Spain is mostly built vertically, up into the hills. The lights on the winding at night make it look from afar like fireflies twinkling in a glass bottle. The hotel I stay in is built into the base of a hill. The lobby is on the highest floor, and to get to the rooms, you take the elevators into the hill. "Here you are, at the upside-down hotel," the taxi driver announces.
To get to Queen's Park Oval from the Hilton Trinidad, you have to walk down a hilly road and make your way around Queen's Park Savannah, a gorgeous circular park that separates the stadium from the rest of the city. There's everyday green and then there's Port-of-Spain green - which feels like every shade of the colour mixed together and splashed across the terrain.
I get back from the stadium late at night after the game and in the 15 minutes I'm away from my phone to drink some coconut water and eat dinner, I receive an outrageous number of notifications on Twitter.
Top win and top bowling from this guy . pic.twitter.com/TX5FkhpTCX
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 12, 2019
Maracas Bay is the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. Clouds float over the mountains that enclose the beach, coconut trees arc by the water, and the few makeshift eateries add a splash of bright orange and yellow to the natural shades of blue and green.
I've come to the point in my journalism career where I have been around enough famous people to not be flustered in their presence. Sir Vivian Richards is not one of them. Growing up, my mother would tell me stories of Richards. So naturally, whenever I see him in the press box, I ignore him.
At the Sabina, I want to speak to Jeff Dujon for a story I'm writing on Jamaican Test cricketers. I ask the ground staff how to find him. They point me to the office staff, who point me towards the club. The club manager dials Dujon's number on his office phone, and before I know it, I'm having a conversation with the man himself. No emails, no appointments.
More random niceties.
Three wickets in three balls. Six out of the seven wickets to fall in the day. Twelve Test matches and five five-wicket hauls. Now that I have had time to process what happened, I can't believe I got to watch Jasprit Bumrah's hat-trick live. I got to hear the ball rap the pads, see his sheepish smile, feel Kohli's emotions as he said, "What a bowler, man." A special, special day.
I want to try Jamaican jerk chicken, so Olando and I set out for Pepperwood, tucked into a gap in a parking lot in Kingston. When we pull into the parking spot, I don't see anything at first. Then I spy a small gate opening into a green pathway and there it is - a huge counter where meat is being prepped, and wooden tables and chairs surrounded by green ivy. The chicken is juicy, smoky and spicy, and the fried green plantains that come on the side are perfect with it.
I step out of the hotel early to buy a bag of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. I had had a cup at the hotel and it was one of the most exquisite things I'd ever tasted - rich, acidic and nutty but not bitter. I'm the first customer at the Wallenford Coffee Company and walk out with a huge jute bag of medium-roasted whole beans.
It's my last day in the Caribbean, so I pack in as much sightseeing as I can. I head to the Bob Marley Museum and then drive up to the village of Port Royal, the harbour located at the end of the Palisadoes. The village, which was founded by the Spanish in 1518, offers guided history tours and some seafood at Hellshire beach. One last incredibly fresh seafood meal before heading back to the US.