Indians are said to be among the gracious hosts, and they treat their guests with utmost dignity. The humble and welcoming attitude of the Indians is loved by every visitor who travels to this wonderful nation. At times though, this gracious attitude of the Indians takes its toll on the guests. The touring New Zealand cricket team in 1988/89 encountered one such experience when they landed in India for a Test series.
People across the globe simply go gaga over the Indian cuisine. The Indian cuisine is said to be among the world’s most loved and relished cuisines. But, when had in excess, like any other cuisine, it is bound to mess up with the digestion system of an individual.
The New Zealand side in 1988/89 whole heartedly enjoyed the Indian food, only to be up with a stomach bug. Several key members of the New Zealand squad were down with the infamous “Delhi Belly”.
During a Test match in Bangalore, things got so worse for the visitors that the Kiwis had to call up a couple of commentators to be the substitutes on field. The condition of the participating Kiwi players was so bleak that they spent a majority of their game time in the washroom! Jeremy Coney, the former Kiwi captain who was then a commentator had to take the field as a substitute because of the main players being absent! Such ironic was the situation,
Ewen Chatfield though was made the butt of all the jokes. The pacer suddenly experienced a bad stomach when he ran from his run up, and went past the umpire, the batsman and the wicketkeeper; only to end up in the pavilion! That undoubtely was the longest run up in cricket history! The poor pacer returned 15 minutes later though, with a new pair of flannels.