Team India took the world by storm but was stopped by a hurricane and my personal experience

By K.R. Nayar
Bridgetown 

Team India took the world by storm, winning the ICC T20 World Cup without losing a single match from the start. However, after lifting the trophy, they were stopped by a hurricane. The final was thrilling, and the joy following India’s win was immense; but within a few hours, the host country was battered by Hurricane Beryl. This hurricane originated in the Atlantic and intensified with sustained winds of 210 km/h. Team India was supposed to travel with the World Cup to receive a joyous welcome from their home fans, but unfortunately got stranded here since the airport was closed.

 

Provides coverage for Janam TV in Malayalam 

At the time of writing this story, the hurricane had intensified to category 5 from category 4, with winds increasing to nearly 160 mph. Fortunately, it has changed trajectory and now moved towards Jamaica. 


Personally, this has been a frightening experience. A few hours after midnight on Monday, the howling wind woke me up. It battered the window to a deafening sound, and I soon realized the electricity had gone off. The Digicel service on my mobile had also stopped, as did the water supply in the Airbnb where we are staying. Cut off from the world, I felt like I had been transported to the Stone Age!

 

Having trailed the Indian team for over a month, providing reports and television footage on a daily basis, it was hard to accept that all means of communication had come to an abrupt stop. The first question that came to mind was how long we would be stranded in this state. 


People often talk about the importance of having a roof over one’s head; today, I realized the importance of having a strong roof above one’s head. It was scary to watch a huge coconut tree, full of coconuts, swaying in the wind wildly. Before the hurricane, the police had warned everyone to watch out for flying objects, and I feared the coconut could be one of the objects flying off since I wasn’t sure how long the tree would resist the fierce wind.  


The police had strictly instructed people to stay indoors until the green signal was given. By noon, the winds subsided, and with that, the electricity and Wi-Fi resumed. As much as the proud Team India players wanted to return home and be with their families, I too was looking forward to receive messages from my family. The resumption of Wi-Fi resulted in a gush of messages, like the wind blowing outside.

 


Due to the reserve day after the final, everyone had booked flights only for July 1st. It is indeed a miracle how the South African team managed to leave before the airport had closed. Many fans from England and Canada are still stranded here. Prime Minister Mia Mottley, whom I had interacted with during the World Cup match at Kensington Oval and who is an ardent cricket fan, has requested for additional flights to carry fans stranded here. 

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