KOCHI: Be it the crease or the sandy beach, picking up the bat and knocking off a few boundaries and sixes is not a big thing for ace cricketers like former test and one-day international South African middle-order batsman Jonty Rhodes.
The cricketer, who is regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and is the first South African cricketer to take 100 ODI catches, was in his best when he joined a group of local cricket players at Arthunkal Beach in Alappuzha recently.
Speaking to TNIE, Raju Marari, executive member of Kerala-HATS, said, “The cricketer was here on a private visit along with his family. He arrived at Marari in Alappuzha on September 27 and went back after a stay of one week. He stayed with his family on a houseboat and visited many tourist places in the district.”
The cricketer went on backwater cruises, visited the historic Alappuzha Lighthouse and Krishnapuram Palace, along with famous temples like the Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple.
According to him, the cricketer, on one of his outings, came across a group of local youth playing cricket and, after watching them play for a while, joined them. “It was a joyous occasion for the players and also the cricketer who got to relive his cricketing days.