About fifteen Malayalees were waiting outside the airport to receive the Indian cricket team that arrived here on Tuesday evening (Indian time yesterday morning). I, including myself, waited for hours to welcome Sanju Samson, who came to the Caribbean as part of the Indian team.
The Indian team, which was told to arrive at 4 pm, left the Trinidad airport only following 7.30 pm due to technical problems. However, we waited outside assuring that we would return following seeing the Indian players including Sanju. All the Indian players were tired as they had to wait for a long time at the airport. Therefore, he was not ready to talk to the fans who were waiting outside or take photos with them.
Counting the Ona Vadhi, many Malayalees were preparing to leave for home. Meanwhile, it is known that Sanju Samson has also been included in the Indian ODI team for the West Indies tour. With that, many postponed their journey. We are not even sure if Sanju will get a chance to play. Whether Sanju plays or not, we will be in the stadium with full support.
The first ODI between India and West Indies will start tomorrow at 7 PM in Port of Spain. The Indian fans here are a little angry that India has sent a relatively junior team to the West Indies, giving rest to all the senior players. But cricket is the festival here. Due to covid there was no competition for two years. The Caribbean Premier League was held later, but with limited attendance.
(The writer is a native of Kollam Karunagapally, who has been working in the West Indies for 18 years. He is also the head of the marketing committee of the St. Lucia National Cricket Association.)
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