After the World Cup win, cricketer Shivam Dubey returned to Mumbai by train as he could not get a flight ticket. He traveled in 3rd AC and hid his identity to avoid fans. Even TTE could not recognize him.
Mumbai: After winning the World Cup, the stars of the Indian cricket team usually travel in chartered plane or business class. But all-rounder Shivam Dubey chose a completely different path. After the historic win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Dubey had to return home to Mumbai. But flight tickets were not available. After this he decided to travel in third AC train coach with his family.
Dubey told ‘The Indian Express’ that tickets were not available on any flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. It would have taken too much time to go by road, so they thought it better to go by train. His wife Anjum and a friend were also with him on this journey.
Dubey had made complete preparations so that no one recognized him in the train. He wore a mask, cap and full-sleeve T-shirt to avoid the eyes of the fans. He chose the 5:10 am train to avoid the crowd. Dubey had told his wife that he would wait outside in the car until the train arrived. Just 5 minutes before the train started, he got down from the car and ran towards the platform. To hide his identity he slept on the upper berth.
A funny incident also happened during the journey. When the ticket checker (TTE) came, he saw the name on the chart and asked, “Shivam Dubey? Is this the same cricketer?” To this, Dubey’s wife Anjum immediately replied, “Oh no, why did he start coming here?” The TTE went to the next passenger feeling a little suspicious.
Dubey told that even when he came down to go to the washroom at night, no one recognized him. He was afraid that a crowd of fans might gather while alighting at Borivali station in broad daylight. However, a police officer was with him for his safety, so he reached home without any problem.