“Mumbai is My Second Home”

LEGENDARY BOWLER BRETT LEE TALKS ABOUT HIS FAVOURITE HAUNTS IN THE CITY, HIS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND, AND AUSTRALIA’S SECRET NOOKS OF PARADISE

- POOJA NAIK

Growing up in Australia, Brett Lee spent most of his weekends watching cricket with his parents in stadiums. At age nine, he had made up his mind to be one of those men he cheered from the stands, to don the green cap of the Australian national team and bowl at a smashing speed of 160 km/hr. At 29, Lee set the record for his quickest delivery: 161.1 km/hr against New Zealand in 2005, sealing his name as one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricketing history.

The 44-year-old’s approach to life is simple yet strategic, both on and off the pitch. His take on travel, however, is like a game of gully cricket: immersive, raw, and fun. Alongside his celebratory career, Lee also infused his time with music—he is a vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Six & Out. Both these journeys came with chances to see the world, but it is India that truly won him over, he says, second only to his homeland.

I catch up with Lee over a Zoom call six hours before he’s set to fly from his home in Sydney to Adelaide, ahead of the first India vs. Australia 2020-2021 test match. Edited excerpts from the interview:

You once called Mumbai your second home—what draws you to the city?

Well, I’m based in Sydney, so that’s my first home. My second home is where I spend most of my remaining time—and that’s Mumbai. It’s the hustle and bustle, the cricket, the fans, the food, and the culture. Something is always happening there, which is nice because sometimes when you visit a place, it can get boring and everything comes to a standstill after 9 o’clock. But Mumbai never sleeps.