‘This will be the most unique tour since the Second World War.
I’ve told the boys suck it up for fourteen days. It might feel like
a prison, but after that you will be free birds.
Those were pretty much the rst two lines Ravi Shastri said to
us and, in all probability, to his team as well, right after India
landed in Sydney on 12 November 2020.
The Pullman Hotel at Sydney Olympic Park resembled a highsecurity complex on a warm November evening. Tall barricades
were erected around the hotel entrance. Two police cars were
stationed at the top of the road leading to the hotel. One lane
was blocked with eet barricades to ensure no cars could ma‐
noeuvre their way to the hotel driveway. Two more police vehi‐
cles waited at the main junction to escort the buses into the ded‐
icated parking area in front of the lobby. Private security guards
were also present for the smooth transition of the players from
the bus to the reception area.
