Namaste India

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.

The day started with an orientation and briefing. After that we had a shoot with one of the TV channels, which was interesting as we did our first jig to Bollywood songs. They tell me one of the songs was from a movie on cricket called Dil Bole Hadippa. Quite peppy, though I confess I didn’t understand a word. But that’s the beauty of music - it goes beyond language

Through the day we experienced some of the best Indian food - tandoori chicken, dal makhni, butter naan, gulab jamun. We just loved it all. Our coordinator told us that these are just a few of the specialities around here. By the time we end our stay in India, we will probably have discovered what a delight the country is for gastronomes.

The evening was dedicated to a visit to the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium. And it was big! I could feel the cheer all around as I imagined myself performing there with the other girls. The thought of standing in the ground and imagining the full crowd roaring as we danced was overwhelming.

Our first public performance was a press conference at the stadium to introduce us to the media. After some routines in the morning through the afternoon – yes, we did sweat a lot - we were looking forward to performing finally. The conference was quite nicely organised with a red carpet leading to the stage, over which we ran, flipped and danced. We all did a small sequence on the Royal Challengers anthem, after which I got a chance to answer some media questions. I felt like a star!

Tomorrow seven of the girls will head to Bangalore and me and six others will stay in Delhi. We have a double header on the 9th and we are gearing up for it. We are all very excited and can’t wait to meet the cricket fans of India. Champions League, here we go!

More pictures and videos of the Mischief Gals here