Hubballi: A British man from Manningtree in the East of England travelling 7,500 km to Hubballi, a small town in Karnataka, just to watch the final of a domestic Indian cricket tournament might sound like something out of a script but it’s not.
Paul Garwood describes himself as a “big fan” of Indian domestic cricket. And, he wouldn’t have missed the Karnataka vs Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Ranji Trophy final in Hubballi for any ICC tournament.
India is co-hosting the ICC T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka currently, and England have already made it to the semi-finals.
“I wanted to see some proper cricket. And, the only proper cricket on planet Earth at the moment is here in Hubballi,” the 52-year-old, who works at a London-based finance firm, told ThePrint.
“I honestly prefer quality cricket over the five-day grind of nearly 400 overs to those 40-over world cup games of just quick big shots. These long five-day games are actual cricket, they test players on so many levels.”
Amid the crowd of local cricket fans who paid Rs 100-200 for entry, four spectators, including Garwood, stood out. They shared one similarity: all of them are from London and travelled to Hubballi just to watch the Ranji Trophy final.
They spoke highly of India’s domestic cricket and have been a regular follower of the tournament. They are up to date with the schedules and never “miss a chance to attend a Ranji match.”
‘I wanted to see some proper cricket. And, only proper cricket on planet Earth at the moment is here in Hubballi,’ says Paul Garwood, who has travelled from London to watcH Ranji final.
Garwood was seated in the VIP box alongside police officers and local supporters, all cheering for the home team. He blended in effortlessly, posing for photos with them and engaging in conversations about the finer details of the match.
“It was bloody amazing,” he said. “The locals are so friendly and are bemused that I travelled 7,500 km from a small place in Suffolk in England to see a domestic Indian match.”
Meanwhile, Ian Jones prefers a seat in the temporary stand behind the sightscreen, saying it offers the “best view of the pitch”.
“I arrived from Goa early on February 24, around 4 am. I waited at the station and then came directly to the stadium. After walking around the ground, I chose this stand because it offers the best view of the pitch,” he said.
Hailing from Yorkshire, Jones, who is now enjoying his retirement days, spends October to March in India, travelling across the country to follow domestic matches.
“It’s very cold in England, so for the past 25 years I’ve been coming to India for six months, and hence, I follow the Ranji tournament,” the 66-year-old said, later describing the ongoing ICC World Cup as “too short”.
Although he supports Goa’s state team, since it serves as his base while he’s in India, he is equally excited about the final. While he calls himself “neutral,” Jones says “Karnataka clearly has the upper hand because they have a stronger batting line-up”.
‘KL Rahul vs Nabi’
Though Garwood’s heart is with the Devdutt Padikal-led Karnataka, he doesn’t miss recognising the gritty fight by the visitors.
“If you look at Karnataka’s top 5 they could easily be India’s top 5. So they are a strong team. But I am impressed with J&K as well. It’s a quite young and inexperienced side and they have batted beautifully to put up runs on the board,” he said.
J&K’s scoreboard, at the end of Day 2, stood at 527/6 in 156 overs. A number of half-centuries by skipper Paras Dogra, Kanhaiya Wadhwan, Abdul Samad, Yawer Hassan Khan and Sahil Lotra kept the momentum alive for J&K.
‘I love this kind of cricket. I don’t like T20. It’s bang-bang bang. I like women’s version of T20 because they play more properly. Big ups for Team Mandhanna, says Neil Fish, spectator from Britain.
Garwood was particularly impressed with Shubham Pundir’s century. He scored 121 runs off 247 balls, which included 12 boundaries and two sixes.
“He did an incredible job on day 1. He reminded me a bit of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Left-handed, quite slight. Quite wristy. He played a beautiful innings. I am sure he’ll go places,” he said.
The J&K side, barring a player or two, isn’t particularly well-known among the travelling British fans. They are far more familiar with the Karnataka team, several of whose players have represented India. But Neil Fish, 65, was delighted to watch the J&K batters in action.
“I am glad J&K is batting (after winning the toss) because if Karnataka had batted (first). they would have scored loads of runs and the game would have been finished. This way, there is a bit of trouble (for the hosts),” he said.
Garwood also plays cricket for Mistley Cricket Club back home. Despite what he calls his “advancing age,” he has been involved in club cricket for 35 years. But his connection to the sport stretches much further back. His family shares a 150-year association with cricket, with every generation having played the game in some capacity.
In fact the Hubballi pitch did tease the cricketer in him.
“The pitch looks very good, it’s flat. I wouldn’t mind batting on it myself,” he added with a laugh.
If there is one cricketer the visiting fans are eager to watch in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final, it is KL Rahul. They admire his calm and intelligent approach to batting. For Garwood, Rahul reminds him of former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, but Jones describes him as “male version of Smriti Mandhana”.
And, they are waiting for the ‘IT’ clash of the Ranji final: J&K bowler Aquib Nabi vs Rahul.
“We are looking forward to seeing it. KL Rahul vs Nabi clash would be a game decider,” Fish told ThePrint on day 2 of the match.
Incidentally, when KL Rahul got a chance to bat, he fell to a Nabi delivery after scoring just 13 off 39.
‘Perfect Venn diagram’
This is Garwood’s third trip to India. He previously visited New Delhi, while travelling onward to Indore to watch an India vs Australia ODI match in 2023.
“I will never forget the smells, the sights and the sounds of New Delhi railway station. It was unbelievable and extraordinary,” Garwood recalled.
His most recent visit before this came in 2024, when he travelled to Dharamshala for the famous India vs England Test encounter, which the visitors lost by an innings and 64 runs.
This latest trip to Hubballi, however, was completely impromptu. He booked his flight on Saturday (21 February), applied for his visa the same day, and was on a plane by Sunday (21 February). He was full of praise for the efficiency of the Indian Visa office. “Big shout out to them.”
Fish, meanwhile, undertook a 48-hour journey, taking a bus and two trains from Lonar in Maharashtra to reach Hubballi. He was joined by a friend from Goa, who was busy scanning the pitch through his binoculars. The 65-year-old is no stranger to India, having travelled to the country 12 or 13 times before. Of course, for his love of cricket.
“I love this kind of cricket. I don’t like T20. It’s bang-bang bang. I like the women’s version of T20 because they play more properly. Big ups for Team Mandhanna,” he said.
Garwood pointed out that his Indian friends, who have attended several IPL and Test matches over the past decade, have “never been crazy enough to watch a Ranji Trophy game in Hubballi”.
Visiting southern India for the first time has been a “phenomenal experience” for him, though he jokes about the possibility of gaining a few extra kilos after indulging in idlis and vadas for breakfast. Ironically, South Indian cuisine has long been among his favourite go-to meals.
“I love my version of chicken Chettinad and cheese uttapam. I know it doesn’t sound authentic, but I make it well,” he laughed.
For Fish, “a veg thali” does the job. And, while in the southern part, sheera, masala dosa and loads of tea is his go-to breakfast.
“I can be a happy vegetarian in India. In England, that’s tough. Although in Goa, my favourite dish is prawn balchao,” he said.
But, what disappoints him in Hubballi is “they don’t have Kerala coffee, they keep giving me nescafe which is rubbish”.
Both Garwood and Fish speak with deep admiration for Indian food and culture and look forward to the hospitality and generosity they encounter on each visit.
Indians, Garwood says, “are first class” when it comes to hosting.
So when people ask him “why travel to India for a domestic match”, he describes it as his “perfect Venn diagram”, where Indian cuisine, culture, people, and of course cricket, form a near perfect combination.
“Isn’t it more than enough reason to keep returning to the country,” he added.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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