S Sreesanth missed his breakfast and opted for an early morning low-cost airline travel to leave Bangalore several hours before the team’s departure in the evening. Despite leaving the stadium close to midnight, he didn’t mind an early start to the day. The desperation to reach home to play his first international game as a world champions means the home boy is the first from Team India to reach the venue for Tuesday’s India and Australia ODI.

Kochi too seems equally frantic to receive the rare cricket star from this football country. Historically, the multi-purpose Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has recorded a full house for virtually all international cricket games but this time things will be different. Such has been the sporting culture in the city that football games are occasions to speak about the exploits of local stalwarts like IM Vijayan and Pappachan, while in cricket season they moan when Kerala would produce a Tendulkar, Ganguly or someone better than Tinu Yohanan — the last player from the state to play for India.

The jovial Eranakulum Cricket Association president KP Satish makes an interesting observation about the blooming of a cricket star in the football fertile land. “Sreesanth is like chicken biryani in a brahmin restaurant,” he says as he points to the changing cricket scene in the state. “The number of junior cricketers taking up the game has increased by several folds. The cricket interest was always there but people were skeptic about getting the big break. Sree has changed that all,” he adds.

... contd.