Sampling Saurashtra

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I've often heard journalists and fellow cricketers say, "Why else would I come to Rajkot, if not for the cricket?" That is the perception of this city, which may seem laid-back but is the commercial capital of north-west Gujarat. The truth is, there's so much to explore if you're willing to spend the time.

Jungle safari at Sasan Gir
The drive from Rajkot may take you three hours, but it's an unforgettable experience. We're told this is the only home of the Asiatic Lion in the country. There are plenty of the beasts on view, unlike at many other national parks, where you have to be lucky to have even a couple of sightings. To be in a tourist jeep with lions around you is an exhilarating experience. Whatever else you see is a bonus.

The beauty of this national park is that it is an ecotourism centre. There are some restrictions around the area, which the government has marked as "no-go" zones at specific times keeping in mind animal behaviour. So they have taken pains to maintain the ecosystem around the area.

An evening at Somnath Mahadev Temple
Somnath is a magnificent temple city, about 160km from Rajkot. Young people might find it hard to connect with it, because of its old-fashioned vibe: narrow streets, plenty of temples, religious chants that echo in the streets, and traditional food minus onion or garlic at most places.

The temple itself has been redone nearly 20 times, I believe, after being repeatedly destroyed by invaders. The current structure was built somewhere in the 1950s. It makes you marvel at how forward architects in those days were in their thinking.

Watch out for the grand aarti at the Shiva temple. It buzzes with tourists in the day but leaves you with a calm mind later, once you sit back to relax and watch the evening aarti along with a view of the sea.

Jaddu's Food Field
When he took all those five-wicket hauls for fun, there was a chorus from within the dressing room for Ravindra Jadeja to become the official caterer of the Saurashtra team. His restaurant, Jaddu's Food Field, located on Kalawad Road, has a delightful spread of vegetarian food, as well as Thai, Chinese and Mexican delicacies.

Food aside, the décor and ambience are tasteful, featuring memorabilia from his career, including autographed stumps, bats, and photographs from the past. If there's cricket on in the city, you are unlikely to get a table easily.

Jadeja's lucky number, 12, is everywhere in the restaurant. Apart from being his jersey number, he was picked to play Test cricket on December 12, and fittingly, the restaurant was inaugurated on 12/12/12.

Rajkumar College
This may not be a traditional tourist attraction, but there's so much history on this sprawling campus. It's more than 150 years old but the maintenance has been top-class. To bring in a cricket connection, this was where the great Ranjitsinhji is said to have studied. Earlier, I'm told, this was a place of formal education for princes in waiting.

There isn't too much history that they have been able to preserve, but traces are evident. Right in the centre of the campus, they have a quadrangle with trees and stone archways. It makes for a very pleasant walk, one that leaves you refreshed in the middle of Rajkot, quite unlike the traffic-filled roads and the manic honking.