Turns out Bryce Bevin not only taught Kiwi all-rounder Jimmy Neesham in Grammar school but is friends with his father and also coached Spain's national rugby team in the 1990s.
A rugby coach who loves cricket and is following New Zealand this World Cup on his first visit to India.
Early in the afternoon with the sun beating down, Bevin looks around the largely-empty 133,000 capacity Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue for the opening England vs New Zealand game, to draw a conclusion.
"This ODI format is dying, eh? I believe cricket is a religion in this country, but I can't blame them for not turning up in large numbers.
"If I want a proper game of cricket, there is a Test match; for excitement, there is T20.
For someone who was involved with sports in a few countries, I can sense that this format isn't exciting anymore. I can see people will turn up slowly once the sun goes down and if the match becomes interesting."
Just as Bevin predicted, they did. When New Zealand were taking total control of the game and sprinting towards England's total of 282, the stands started to fill up. As the floodlights were switched, the 20,000-odd fans got entertainment T20 style.
The one-sided game had a hundred by Wellington boy Rachin Ravindra, whose Bangalore-born father had named him after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
"OI! JIMMY! YOUR teacher is here!" Went a cry from the stands, near the sight-screen, and the fan from New Zealand, who was referred to as the teacher, hushed the fellow Kiwi who was shouting.
This story is from the October 06, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
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This story is from the October 06, 2023 edition of Financial Express Mumbai.
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