Meanwhile at Hotel Mountview

Once upon a time it was Hotel Mountview in Chandigarh where the teams stayed. As the Men in Blue practised,chefs and the staff would be on their toes. Not this Wednesday though. “We miss those times. Providing hospitality to the cricketers was a part of working here,” says Jagan Chaudhury,Banquet Manager,Hotel Mountview. “Be it Sachin Tendulkar’s favourite crabs stuffed with spices,or Shahid Afridi’s chicken biryani,our restaurants always provided the choicest of dishes.” Players may have deserted the hotel,but not the fans.

Rooms in Mountview got sold out long back and the hotel’s clientele this Wednesday will include the rich and famous (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is expected with wife Sharmila Tagore).