India seem to be the most cricket-crazed nation on the planet. A group of local cricket players wanted to indulge their fanatismso they decided on the adventure.

The secretary of UKZN Varsity Cricket Club SheruChotu is the brain behind the works. He and his brother Jason Chotuformed a touring group of 18 players, playing games in Maharasthra, Mumbai and Pune.

“It was an unforgettable experience that will stay with me and my colleagues for the rest of our lives. We knew from the outset that our tour was not for leisure, but, rather for playing this beautiful game. We wanted to get exposure and learn the cricket culture that exists in India,” the team manager and head coach Yashveer Singh said.

The group played four games across the nation in Mumbai and in Pune. In Mumbai, the city of legend Sachin Tendulakar, they played PJ Hindu Gymkhana – a team affiliated to the Mumbai Cricket Club. In the first match, they lost by four wickets but Singh said they gain so much experience of the sport.

“With Warren Naidoo being the chief destroyer smashing 77 off 47 balls, that included four 6’s with one of the sixies landing in the Indian Ocean. We also had some lofty blows from HilalPillay, UKZN’s player of the year,” Singh said, describing the match played on the Marine Parade across the Indian Ocean.

Then the team made a four-hour trip to PYC Gymkhana headed by the former head of BCCI SugendranBhave. Singh said “the facilities were of high standard” and that the team was honoured to play on the 108-year ground.