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DESI touch to a cricket yatra
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Cheering Indian fans will soon turn themselves into Desimators just like the foot soldiers of the Barmy Army, who follow the fortunes of English cricket worldwide
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FOR MILLIONS of sports fans around the country, one ultimate dream has always been to watch "live" the Indian teams, especially cricketers, play and win abroad. There is a quantum jump of Indian tourists travelling abroad to exotic destinations and a good number of them are sports fans who long to watch their heroes in action, and at the same time, enjoy a good holiday. But they lack the expertise to go about it.
Xsports, a Bangalore-based firm, has now stepped in to fill the void in sports-related travel. The newly-formed company has taken up the task of organising sports tours for fans in a professional manner. The company has Shankar Vishwanathan, a financial analyst and a business journalist, as its Chief Executive. His brother, Satish Vishwnathan, a former cricketer and sports journalist, and S. Balasubramaniam, the President of the Karnataka State Billiards Association, are the other partners. Xsports will be all about sports entertainment, events, and travel, according to Satish, who feels there is a great scope, especially for sports travel, in the country. Anil Kumble is one of the advisors for the company.
"It all started in 1999 during the World Cup, when I watched quite a few fans turn back in disappointment failing to get tickets or hotel accommodation after travelling all the way for World Cup matches," says Satish. "What basically a sports fan looks forward to is a holiday, which also takes him to sports venues of choice," says Satish. What cropped up as it's maiden venture is the current Indian tour of Australia. "The idea of watching a series and enjoying your holiday as well is a heady mix for any fan, and hence, we came up with an attractive package for the triangular one-day series between India, Australia, and Zimbabwe, called the Desimators Tour of Australia. "Though India scored a great win at Adelaide in the test series, there were not many takers for the test series at the outset, and people were more interested in watching the one-day series," says Satish.
Xsports, for its tour, has tied up with Gulliver's Sports Travel, run by former Australian skipper Allan Border. It is offering three packages in both the premium and economy segments. There is a five nights (two one-day internationals), seven nights (all finals), and 12 nights (five ODIs including the finals).
"On the second final at Sydney, there is a testimonial in honour of Steve Waugh and the Desimators can enjoy a dinner with Waugh brothers — Steve and Mark — and dance to Brett and Shane Lee band. The fans can even meet the Indian players, who have promised to join us for a bash," says Satish. He promises that Desimators will be much different from Barmy Army, who follow England cricketers.
"Barmy Army is a loose bunch, but here, our guys travel together and everything is professionally organised for them and we are planning to build the Desimators brand with a couple of innovations, and wherever our fans go, people should know that the Indians have arrived," says Satish.
The response for the Decimators Tour "is very encouraging", says Satish. "We are getting the bookings, and there is lot of interest, especially from the fans in Chennai, and if this venture becomes a success, we can plan lot more things in future," he says.
In the pipeline of Xsports are Olympic and Wimbledon tours and they are also looking at the possibility of taking auto racing buffs for Formula One races.
Xsports, Bangalore, may be contacted at 21/1, Aradhya Complex, Vani Vilas Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore — 560004. Phone: 51204982/ 31821485/ 98454-57797. E-mail: thedesimators@xsportsbangalore.com. Website: www.thedesimators.com.
KHALYAN N. ASHOK
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