UK couple make 8,600-miles journey to watch Virat Kohli in action

UK couple make 8,600-miles journey to watch Virat Kohli in action

Mangaloretoday News Network

Cape Town, Jan 10: The walk from the Park Inn Radisson in Hemlock Street to the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town takes hardly 5 minutes if you take the short cut through a subway that opens onto the stadium. But on Sunday, it was a tough one with the constant drizzle and the heavy winds making it almost impossible to walk. But the only corner on the road from the hotel to the stadium is the subway. Being the backside of the main street, this road is more often than not secluded with hardly one or two people walking in, mostly those headed to the Newlands Brewery.

Even as this reporter hurried his way to somehow enter the subway and keep himself as dry as possible, a man and a woman was seen standing really close to each other at the other end. The thought of rain and romance immediately struck the mind before the call of duty ensured that the walk continued uninterrupted. Just as the couple came closer to sight, it came to the fore that the lady was helping button the man’s raincoat even as the winds played spoilsport.

The patience with which the lady kept at the button was indeed a sight to behold. By the looks of it, they looked like senior citizens, but as it is impolite to ask a lady her age, the reporter refrained from doing so. But a conversation had to be struck because in this age of internet love, you had a lady help button her husband’s raincoat even as the rain and wind played constant deterrent.

When CricketNext enquired why they had left the comforts of their home to come to the stadium when it was clear in the forecast that play was unlikely, the man turned around -- one arm on the lady’s shoulder -- and asked: “You mean why did we come here from the United Kingdom? Well because we wanted to watch Virat Kohli bat.”

A good minute’s silence engulfed the place before the next question was fired at them. From the UK, just to watch Kohli bat? Like seriously? This is when John decided to reveal the secret behind the journey.

“Chrissia (my wife) and me are in love with this city because of its calm and beautiful nature. We had first come here in 2016 to watch England play South Africa. Even though the Test ended in a draw, we loved spending time inside the Newlands Stadium and thus when we realised that India would be playing South Africa here at this time, we decided to come down again because we wanted to watch Kohli bat. Both of us think that he is a brilliant player and truly one of the best to play the game. Unfortunately, he got out cheaply in the first innings, but there is still one more innings to go,” he had smiled, even as the couple braved the rain to happily pose for a photo.

Sadly, Kohli failed to turn on the heat even on Monday and was dismissed for only 28. But he did hit a few crisp shots to the boundary. Hopefully for John and Chrissia, Kohli will strike gold in front of them soon enough. After all, even though they look elderly in appearance, their spirit is definitely good enough to give any teenager in this generation a run for his/her money.