On board EK 772/Cape Town: After over half-an-hour of queuing up for Immigration (it's odd, but there's no Fast Track), one was greeted with a snazzy promotional: 'Welcome to Cape Town, one of the 25 best fun cities in the world'.

Had times been normal in and around these parts, then that promotional would have been hailed by Capetonians.

But not now, when Cape Town and the entire Western Cape is in the midst of a water crisis fuelled by an unprecedented drought.

Clearly, at this point in time, it's no fun being here. The drought, after all, has resulted in a severe restriction on the consumption of water.

"Look, 87 litres of water per person per day is fine if it's only for purposes of personal consumption and a few other things...

"But, obviously, we'd like to bathe, wash our clothes and clean the crockery and cutlery as well...

"I can't recall the date, but this restriction has been in force from last year. With no rain expected - it doesn't rain in our summers - the 87 litres could even get lowered...

"The shortage of rain (in winter) started in 2015, got worse the next year and grew into a crisis in 2017...

"My wife Janet and I have been forced into doing something by the administration, but we have also been making an effort to use less than 87 litres per person per day...

"At the end of the day, we have to act like responsible citizens," Dave Slater, a co-passenger and Capetonion on the nine-hour flight from Dubai, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Cape Town, at least, has always had water meters in residential households and industrial units. So, monitoring has been there. Now, penalties get invited.

The drought-driven restriction has sent sales of bottled water booming. Indeed, it wasn't easy for this Reporter to get a carton of 10 or 12 one or one-and-a-half litres bottles.

Actually, there's a fall-out to the high sales of bottled water as far too much plastic is in circulation in and around here.

To talk of cricket... Slater (no ties with Michael) is a keen follower of the oldest and most challenging format.

"I'll definitely be at Newlands for the first two days of the opening Test and I'd like to see a competitive match and series...

"Having watched the great Sachin Tendulkar more than once, I'm keen to see the so-highly-rated Virat Kohli get a hundred...

"Kohli is regarded a modern-day great and a hundred at Newlands in his first Test as captain in South Africa would be a very good occasion to get it...

"From what I've heard, read and seen on TV, Kohli loves to lead by example and it's apparent that he's a highly demanding captain...

"I, for one, would find it better staying away from a dressing room where the captain is so demanding! Kohli has high standards," Slater, an electrical engineer, said.

Predictably, Slater is an AB de Villiers admirer, but is "very disappointed" that the most inventive batsman of the present times took a sabbatical from Test cricket to focus on the two shorter formats.

To go back to the India captain... A most casually dressed Virat and wife Anushka, with only one security personnel in tow, went out of the team hotel (The Cullinan) in the afternoon.

Their attire had everything to do with the high temperature.

As our paths crossed, it was an opportunity to congratulate Virat and Anushka. They acknowledged the good wishes gracefully.