JULY 15: From our aircraft we can catch glimpses of Sri Lanka. It is a beautiful land, sprinkled with coconut trees, waterways, and beaches. No wonder it is called the emerald island. The personnel at the immigration are friendly. "You've come to cover the cricket matches?" they ask. And when yours truly and The Sportstar photographer reply in the affirmative, they smile. Cricket is a passion in these parts. As we travel from the airport to the Taj Samudra Hotel, a 90-minute drive, we can spot pretty little houses, brightly coloured vehicles, friendly people on the sidewalks sporting umbrellas... and then we also come across Lanka's grim reality. Gun-wielding military personnel man the various check points. The vehicle is stopped at each one of them and the soldiers insist on seeing the passport. But they are also well mannered and if the person concerned has the necessary documents with him there are absolutely no hassles. The staff at the Taj Samudra are delighted to have the cricketers and the sports scribes back. The flags of the participating nations and a set of cricket gear are put together artistically in the lobby of the hotel. The question on everybody's lips is 'when is Sachin Tendulkar coming?' The batting maestro is hugely popular in these parts and his absence is felt. We also have a chance to catch up with the Kiwi manager Jeff Crowe, a former New Zealand captain himself. He is an affable man, and does provide us with an insight into the contemporary New Zealand cricketing scene.
July 16: The Indians are arriving in the afternoon, and there is a buzz in the hotel. Sourav Ganguly and his men are accorded a warm, traditional welcome. Ganguly and vice-captain Dravid light the traditional lamp at the lobby and there are smiles all around. We travel to the media centre near the NCC stadium in central Colombo to collect our passes. The arrangements made by the interim Board are good and we face no problems. We also travel briefly to the NCC ground where New Zealand is taking on Sri Lanka 'A' in a practice match. There is an old fashioned charm about this quaint ground. The match, however, is one-sided. The Kiwis whip the Lankan aspirants. In the evening we head for the Crystal Hall of the Taj Samudra, where the three captains, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly and Stephen Fleming, talk to the media. The Hall is packed and the television cameras whir. The common theme running through the captains' statements is - 'The competition will be tough and hard.'
July 17: The Lankans are practising at the Premadasa Stadium and we run into Rumesh Ratnayake, the fast bowling coach of the team. He is a warm-hearted man with an endearing smile. He makes eager enquiries about the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai where he learnt about the finer aspects of coaching from one of the greatest names in world cricket - Dennis Lillee. Rumesh, who could send down deliveries at a sharp pace during his time, is obviously enjoying his new role. "It is wonderful to be with the young boys, and sharing your experience and knowledge with them," he says.
July 18: The D-Day finally arrives. But as we near the Premadasa Stadium, the car making its way through the dense Colombo mid-afternoon traffic, we are disappointed that there are not many people outside the turnstiles. The match has not evoked too much interest among the locals, with several of them preferring to catch the action on television. The encounter turns out to be a competitive one with the Lankans managing to quell a spirited challenge from the Kiwi lower-order. We also see the famous Lankan cheer-leader Percy Abeyshekara in action. He runs around the ground in his inimitable style clutching the Lankan flag and this time he has company too. Sonny Shaw, Percy's counterpart from New Zealand, has flown in with the Kiwis. It is a touching sight when Percy and Sonny greet each other like long lost friends. Cricket does travel beyond matches won and lost, runs scored and wickets taken. It is men like Percy and Sonny who take us to the very soul of the game.
July 19: The Lankans have taken the first two points in the tournament and the team is in a cheerful mood as it gathers in the morning for breakfast. Also at the hotel restaurant are India's young Harbhajan Singh and Reetinder Singh Sodhi. The two Punjab cricketers are thick friends and are anxious to perform in the tournament. Harbhajan has already catapulted into superstardom with his sensational haul in the Test series against Australia, and Sodhi, an industrious cricketer if ever there was any, is fighting hard to cement his place in the one-day side. The two Sardars present a colourful picture as The Sportstar photographer shoots their pictures. But during the afternoon, disturbing news trickles in that Mumbai paceman Ajit Agarkar is down with a sunstroke. However, Andrew Liepus, the Indian physio, informs us that there is no cause for alarm. This is also the day when Colombo is rocked by an opposition rally. There are reports of violence in the city and the practice sessions of the two teams are disrupted. The security in the Lankan capital becomes even more tighter, and the teams spend the best part of the day at the hotel. And on this rather dramatic day, we also learn that the three matches to be held at the ultramodern Dambulla Stadium will now be staged at the Premadasa Stadium. A payment dispute between the contractors of the stadium and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka's (BCCSL) interim panel is said to be the reason for this sudden change. The Board fears the contractors would move the court to get a stay order against conducting the matches in Dambulla and hence the move. In the evening Indian coach John Wright sits down for an informal chat with the mediamen. He is a well meaning man who desperately wants Indian cricket to climb the rungs. "Look at the heart of a cricketer first," he says forcefully.
July 20: There are a number of Indian restaurants in Colombo, and we have our lunch at Mathura, on our way to the Stadium for the India-New Zealand duel. We also stop to buy a little stationery from one of the little shops along the road, and the old man at the counter, a Tamil, quick to recognise that we are Indians, makes enquiries about India and Tamil Nadu in particular. That was the land from where his ancestors came to Lanka several hundred years ago. The match itself turns out to be a disaster for the Indians. There is a total absence of character as the Indians surrender meekly. The mood in the Indian camp is glum.
July 21: The Kiwis are upbeat though. There is none happier than the experienced batsman Nathan Astle, who comes up with a fine century. The Kiwis are off to Kandy for a two-day break from cricket, while the Indians prepare for the crucial game against Lanka. After practice, some of the Indians relax by playing a game of pool, and here one of the Indian scribes beats Yuveraj Singh. The journalist is delighted, but we cannot find Yuveraj around to check out how he feels! During the night, V. V. S. Laxman comes down to the restaurant to watch the Ashes live on the giant screen. Shane Warne has just castled Michael Atherton with a huge leg-break, and the Aussie pacemen are firing too. We remind Laxman that these were the same bowlers he destroyed during that epic double-hundred in the Kolkata Test. Looking back, doesn't that innings against a rampaging enemy appear a dream when he wakes up every morning? "Yes, it does," confesses Laxman with a smile. A dream that has become a part of Indian cricketing folklore.
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