Party time for KKR

There was no Shah Rukh Khan to steal the limelight away from the men in purple. So, when the boys decided to come together for an informal gathering at a suburban five-star property Saturday night, before they faced Team Mumbai yesterday, there was no stopping them from having a good time.
The do was hosted by Mir and when CT caught up with Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir, this is what he had to say, “Although I’m a Delhi boy, it is a pleasure playing for Kolkata.My heart and soul belong here.” And like every other star, whose heart and soul belong to Kolkata, did he try the rosogolla and mishti doi? “Not yet. Right now, I’m watching my diet a bit. Once the tournament is over, I’ll surely try them.” We asked him if he finds Bengali babes sweet and pat came the reply, “Oh, I find Kolkata girls better looking than Delhi girls!” Hmm, can’t help but say we were impressed with that answer, dear Gauti! Mir, in his signature style, sprinkled generous helpings of ‘Mirisms’ and kept the audience in splits. This one was directed at Team Kolkata coach, Dav Whatmore: “There’s a grocery store in Tollygunge by the name of ‘What More’. I’m sure some of your friends will take you there!” The one directed at Ryan Ten Doeschate, took the cake, though: “You have a ‘Ten’ in your name but how many out of 10 can pronounce your name right?” Ryan was smart to retort with, “None” as an answer! Mir then chose Manoj Tiwary to ask him the most sensitive question: “When Team Kolkata plays against Team Pune, does it turn into Kolkata versus Sourav Ganguly?” Manoj kept it politically very correct and replied, “We play against a team and we do only what’s discussed in the team meeting.” At a point, when Gautam was asked how he relaxes between matches, he said that he actually never relaxes between tournaments! Guess this dedication had impressed SRK and led him to choose Gauti as the skipper of Team Kolkata,
thinking that his hard work would help the team fare better at the IPL than the previous seasons! Every once in a while, amidst the laughter and the cacophony that rang within the walls of the banquet, strains of music, played by fusion band Finger Print broke the din and made the merriment wholesome. Dibyajyoti Chaudhuri