The burgeoning, high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts of Pune are a reminder that the city is one of the more popular and desirable in which to live in the country, especially when the wretched Metro is finally finished.
One of the traditional centres of learning and Higher Education, Pune has attracted a host of new IT businesses in recent years and, whisper it, is developing a little of ‘yuppiness’ about it, with its coffee bars, bar bars and ‘lounges’. It’s only 150km or so from Mumbai but the Sahyadri Mountains between the cities makes Pune a few, precious degrees cooler.
A one-bed apartment in one of these brand new blocks, with their boomed gates and security guards, will set you back between 75 and 100 lakh ($90-$120k). That’s without a parking bay, obviously. It doesn’t mean Pune has any less poverty than other cities, it just has more wealth than most – if not Mumbai and Hyderabad.
The one-wicket victory against Pakistan aside, the other five of South Africa’s wins have been achieved by run margins of 102, 134, 229, 149 and now 190 against New Zealand. It is not just astonishing but possibly unprecedented for a major nation. The statisticians will, no doubt, let us know in due course.
What it does mean, despite what those good men and women will tell you, is that the Proteas are guaranteed a semi-final place. In order for the other teams who can also finish on 12 points, notably Pakistan, to better SA’s run-rate they will need to win their final two games by margins close to 300 runs.
Now it’s a question of who plays whom, and where. It’s alright for the world’s largest media and production companies to book hotels and flights for Mumbai and Kolkata and write off their losses, its not quite so easy for the majority of us. ‘First plays fourth in Kolkata, second plays third in Mumbai.’ That’s how it starts. BUT – if Pakistan qualify then they must play in Kolkata (because they cannot get visas for the State of Maharashtra.) And India will definitely play their semi-final in Mumbai. Unless they face Pakistan. Not quite so straightforward.
The game against India now looms as an opportunity to ‘relax’ and enjoy what will be an occasion the players will never forget with a sell-out crowd of 70,000 expected at Eden Gardens. Organisers have promised to have 70,000 Virat Kohli face-masks printed to celebrate the master batsman’s birthday. I will secure one as a souvenir but cannot promise to wear it on the day.
The final day in Pune began with the usual morning ‘run’ which is more of a ‘stumble’ between traffic, over building rubble and around broken pavements. The mighty Hotel Solitaire enthusiastically provided its usual breakfast of lentil gravy and rice but, seeing as it was a special day, I opted for the street coconut option.
Another epic travel day awaits tomorrow. 90 minutes to the airport, fly to Hyderabad for a two-hour stopover, two more hours in the air to Kolkata and then…rush hour traffic. Let’s see if we can beat the 12-hour record set getting here.