International flights: Air bubbles with 13 countries finalised

Of late, across two different geographies, the Arabian Sea has been getting extraordinary attention from several brooding international cricketers waiting for the start of the pandemic-time Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates. Anxious players in Dubai and retired cricketers-turned-TV pundits in Mumbai have sat in their high-rise hotel rooms, staring at the glinting blue ocean in the bay below.

In Mumbai, IPL commentator Irfan Pathan, following the Covid-19 protocol, is quarantined in his room at Hotel Trident on Marine Drive. Helping him keep away the gloomy spells of loneliness is Mumbai’s famous late-evening screensaver-like reddening sunset that delicately spills over the amber waters. “I lean on my chair, play a slow Arijit Singh or Atif Aslam song in the background and see the clouds and sea change colour. It’s magical. You wonder why in our normal lives we don’t find time to soak in these small pleasures,” he says.

Trident will be Irfan’s home for the next two months. IPL’s official broadcasters Star have booked the entire hotel for its commentators and crew. Half of Star’s 800-plus-strong team will be stationed here. The rest will be in the UAE.