SOON after the game ended, the Indian dressing room was visited by the English team. Nasser Hussain was the first to arrive, followed by other, rather glum-looking, teammates. And, despite the disappointment of being thoroughly outplayed, congratulations were extended, hands shaken, backs thumped. Which, if you look at it objectively, is the essence of sport - a fierce contest is fought on the ground but once the hostilities cease and the result is known, there is gracious acceptance of the verdict.
But some hard-nosed cricket experts were in no mood to be charitable about the English team. "This is ordinary cricket," sneered an old timer, "if they can't cope with spin on a straight wicket, what will happen when the ball turns? In the past England used to humiliate us, wanted three-day Tests for India - now it is our turn to revive the proposal"!
Surprisingly, the Indians were not alone in holding a dim view of the visiting team. Ian Botham was certain the match won't stretch into the 4th day; Blofeld (working for BBC radio) also thought likewise. Both were seen shaking their heads in disapproval as batsmen succumbed meekly. But if the English batting was as fragile as Wedgwood porcelain, the Indians were not complaining. Instead, as the last wicket fell, John Wright, a composed person not known for displaying emotions in public, whooped excitedly to exchange high fives with others around him.
But even as the Indian team savoured success, after the brutal drubbing overseas last couple of months, a practical problem had to be to attended to. An early end to the Test left them a couple of days free, which meant an opportunity to dash home and meet up with family. The travel agent was therefore summoned, badgered to reroute tickets, confirm bookings and tie up last-minute changes. And while players scurried around to leave, the team management issued a gentle fatwa - reassemble in Ahmedabad, in time for nets two days before the start.
Scrambling for cricket is some thing the Indian players are experts at, they trickled into Mohali barely two days after an arduous - and long - tour of South Africa. I am still jet-lagged, admitted a player after a brief hit in the nets. Can't focus on the ball, the feet don't move, the body just isn't responding. Wish there was more time to be ready.
The Mohali organisers felt much the same way because hosting a Test match is a huge task, more so as they have a reputation to protect. To spruce things up, put a fresh coat of paint and ensure things are in place, a massive Rs. 80 lakh stadium upgrade was launched. Most of this went into cricket facilities (a demarcated practice area apart from the main ground) besides colouring the stands in eye-soothing shades, obviously with TV in mind because the visuals look more pleasant.
The main pavilion in Mohali has a distinct cricket flavour with pictures of cricketers (from Ranji to Dharmani) on every wall and cricket memorabilia stacked in wooden cases in the Long Room, which is a faithful reproduction of the unimpressive one at Lord's.
What makes Mohali a popular centre is excellent hospitality, there is much khaana and much more peena and faultless cricket facilities. Players are happy with the spacious Kapil Dev/Sunil Gavaskar dressing rooms, the good practice pitches and the ground so lovingly maintained by Daljit Singh. The outfield is lush (as all good outfields are described) and the ball rolls evenly off the square towards the boundary.
It requires a lot of hard work, admitted Daljit, who winces each time anyone apart from a player/umpire walks on the turf brought in from Calcutta. The pitches in the middle, however, have Bermuda grass available in plenty all over the country. Pitch expert Kasturirangan, normally an austere man (he is an expert horticulturist, specialising in roses) allowed himself a smile after inspecting the hard, green wicket. Some Indian players did nothing of this kind, in fact they frowned on seeing the grass and said they felt they were still somewhere in South Africa.
While it is comforting to know that we can manufacture wickets according to requirements, whether we should have bouncy wickets is the question. Clearly, making pace-friendly tracks for Tests is a bit suicidal because one wants to win, and whatever helps achieve that, be it dust tracks or designer akharas, is ok. That is the argument voiced by players, reinforced by two other observations: everyone plays to his strength, nobody makes wickets for visiting sides. So, if Nasser Hussain and his boys need helmets while tackling Kumble then just too bad. Why feel sorry?
Kasturirangan and Dhiraj Parsana, meanwhile, have been commissioned by the Board to supervise wickets for international games. Both are deeply knowledgeable, their skills sharpened by years of hard work and loads of experience.
They have experimented with different soils and grasses and think Bermuda grass is ideal because it regenerates quickly, is more durable and sturdy, ideally suited for Indian conditions. The surface underneath will however vary according to the region, from black clay in most parts to red soil in the western parts of India.
Maybe the wickets won't play a crucial role in this series because the teams are so mismatched in strength. Jimmy Amarnath, a crusty veteran of several fierce battles, thought this was open loot for Indian batsmen, his opinion fashioned after a quick glance at friendly English bowling. "I have not seen anything as ordinary in a long time," he commented. Sanjay Manjrekar, another expert present, was less harsh while pronouncing his judgement. "Cricket is a funny game," he cautioned, "it can throw up weird things." Sanjay is genial and likeable, makes his point clearly without getting carried away. He is careful about what he eats, and equally fussy about his choice of words. Sanjay's unbeatable formula: calorie-free food, controversy-free comments.
His teammate, Ravi Shastri, is entirely different in outlook - he is plain speaking, tough talking, the no-nonsense, totally upfront sort. Bowl a bad ball and there is no escape, Shastri will pounce on it in a moment. If you disagree with this assessment please consult Mike Denness for a second opinion, he received a stiff dose recently.
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