When Cameron White, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad, came to the City Centre mall recently, cricket was far from their mind. They were coming together for an initiative called ‘Powerlight a Village’ by Garnier Men, with an aim to light up villages in India that have no electricity. The mall was swarming with camera crews, media personnel and mostly youngsters waiting for the trio. An announcement of the arrival of the cricketers was met with tumultuous welcome. A brief hush later, when they rode PowerLight a village bicycle, the photographers rushed to get the best angle.
With Sunrisers Hyderabad doing well so far in the current IPL , the cricketers had more than one reason to be happy.
The right arm swing bowler Dale Steyn, known for being very aggressive on field was the most popular among the trio. Standing in a corner was young Dinesh, cheering for his favourite bowler simply because “Dale Styne is the best bowler in the world. He is pretty cool.” His friend, Neha, a B. Tech student cheered for Ishant Sharma. “I like Yuvraj Singh but since he is not here, I am rooting for Ishant,” she smiled.
Cameron White, the captain of Sunrisers looked visibly happy with the team. “I am just happy. The team is doing well and we need your support,” he said. About the local players especially Hanuma Vihari doing well in the matches, the captain said, “One of the great things is that young Indians are able to showcase their talent on a big stage. They are doing well for the team Sunrisers in particular and Indian team in general.”
The photographers jostled and nudged waiting for activity - so when Dale Steyn raised his hand to wave, or Ishant made the smallest gesture, they leapt into gear. “Biryani is good,” smiled Steyn. He further added, “Bowling with Ishant is fantastic.”
As the team got up to leave, the crowd zoomed to get close but in vain. When the cricketers smiled, got up and vanished from view, Vaishnavi, a standard X student screamed, “Ishant, I love you.”
