May 24, 1999
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PAVILION END Sports and Pastime Cricket in England is leisurely with spectators less consumed by passion. By Anshuman Gaekwad
They are not consumed by excitement like the passionate Indian fan. Instead they seem to follow the game keenly, clapping for both teams, acknowledging excellence when they see it. They also treat the players with a certain formality. Every request for an autograph is prefaced with a "please" and followed by a "thank you". They also never physically touch the players, something that happens too often in India. Of course, the Indian cricket fan in England is much like his subcontinental counterpart -- extremely enthusiastic. The community here has been only happy to help out with food -- we either eat out or locals send food to us -- and transport. The hotel lobby overflows with Indian supporters. Though they are a trifle overenthusiastic, their support is crucial. Indeed I read somewhere that the Indian team has the largest local following among visiting teams. The team has responded to this and I was thrilled to see Sachin Tendulkar acknowledge their support after his fine 91 against Nottinghamshire. Sachin is also fit despite the numerous reports in Indian newspapers which I hear have all been worrying about his condition. If anyone had seen him racing across the pitch for threes, all doubts about his fitness would have vanished. Although we are often criticised for failing when we travel abroad, our team is remarkably relaxed here. We love playing at home but the advantage of being in a foreign land is that you don't feel the full weight of the burden of expectation. Although the first match will be over by the time you read this, our confidence is high. Azharuddin has been very relaxed, fooling around with the boys and even bowling at the nets. As someone said in England, he doesn't worry about opening the newspapers and reading about another unnecessary debate on whether he should be captain. But it is not all fun and games, of course. The next three weeks of the league stage will be an extremely important chapter for Indian cricket. I believe if our young team does well in this tournament it will have a great effect on the future -- after all in sports winning breeds confidence and confidence is the key. So we have been having serious four-hour net sessions which are largely competitive and at team meetings everyone has a voice, whether senior or junior. I also have charts detailing the performance of players from other teams -- how they got out (whether caught/LBW/bowled), what their favourite shots are, where their weaknesses lie. Hopefully this homework will be of some use. There has also been a lot of talk about whether we will use all our main bowlers instead of four so that we can have an extra batsman. Not in the early matches I guess but I wouldn't rule out anything. Certainly I am not going to entertain every wild theory -- someone outside the team (we are always getting advice) suggested that we drop Nayan Mongia and get Rahul Dravid to keep. It was a ridiculous suggestion because we need a top-class wicket-keeper behind the stumps, which is what Mongia is. Also, Rahul being one of our pivotal batsmen we certainly aren't going to put an unnecessary burden on his shoulders. Meanwhile, it has been interesting to read the newspaper reports and listen to television pundits hold forth on who will win the World Cup. The tabloid press fortunately has left us alone so far. Of course, I would be much happier if some of the reporters got their facts right. The other day a reporter in The Independent wrote that Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad was concerned because one of his star players, Shahid Afridi, got hurt on his elbow! As far as I know Afridi plays for Pakistan. (Anshuman Gaekwad, coach of the Indian
cricket team, will be writing a weekly column |
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Being in England is a cultural experience. Cricket
here and in the subcontinent have almost nothing in common. It is not a mass sport out
here, more like a village pastime. Spectators too are vastly different. Lots of women,
especially the elderly, have watched our matches either alone or with their husbands and
are extremely knowledgeable about the game. 
