So, here we are at the Suncoast Hotel and Towers in Durban, South Africa, after the long flight from Chennai, and I couldn’t wait to get down to matters cricketing ahead of the IPL 2009 commencing on April 18.
Suncoast Towers, located by the side of the beach with a 24-hour Casino, is the perfect place to be in. The ride to the ground is only 15 minutes. The view from the glass-fronted elevators would stay with all of us for a long time.
Practice on Day 1 was more a teaser as we had to get used to the conditions. The real grind and the workload to come was outlined at our team meeting which Flemo (Stephen Fleming, our coach) conducted with the ease of a pro.
Flemo blends simple truths of the game with tough tones to reiterate the smart plays required to maintain our status as the hunted.
How true that the composition we arrived at in one year with the inclusion of Freddie (Andrew Flintoff) is going to make others target us with greater intensity. From the relatively unknown to being chased is indeed a case of being the favorites vs the underdogs.
I had a good chat on future of cricket and things to do in South Africa with Haydos (Matthew Hayden). He looked so focused on the IPL. For sure, here is a pro, if there is one. I also felt reassured while watching him bat at the indoor nets today. The ball was meeting the bat and exploding into the net.
The facilities are comparable to the best in the world. Five indoor nets and six outdoors will leave batsmen with pads on forever. The wickets had bounce and the bowlers like (Manpreet) Gony and (Sudeep) Tyagi impressed with the steep lift. The Tamil Nadu boys had a good net while the overseas stars felt more content with the bowling machine and throw downs.
Day Two was for me more defining. The weather turned a full circle. Flemo came to the balcony where we usually sit to watch the sea breakers and said it was like New Zealand, his native land with rain and sunshine alternating unpredictably.
The southern hemisphere is sliding into winter and this to the locals is the transition phenomenon. We went to the Kingsmead ground in batches as ours is a large contingent, for segmented sessions.
I watched Haydos getting into his batting drills with George Bailey. The others - Vidyut, Badri and Abhinav – watched, learning all the time. Finally, a chat about how to focus on the ball with the head over it while hitting besides working the cow shots, was an educative experience for the boys. What a fantastic idea this IPL is. Bring me Benjamin Button!
After a three- hour session, it was time for a quick bite at the dining hall. It is a museum, housing all the articles and pictures of the Natal State heroes over the years. Pictures of Viv Richards and Barry Richards, stood out.
Mike Procter is another famous name besides Dolphins team stars. Len Hutton’s equipment used in the epic 364 he scored is on display. Not much time to complete my videos on them, but will be back for full coverage tomorrow.
Back at the hotel, the Indian boys tag along for shopping at The Gate Way mall, the biggest in the southern hemisphere, while a few accompany Flemo and others for a 9-hole golf hit.
I think about it and decide that with rain still in the air, a better ride would be to the mall. Amazingly big and so much to choose from, I leave it another day, closer to departure.
I know I have a few relatives around the world I have not met in a long time but to bump into a first cousin at the large shopping mall is not my idea of the world being a small place.
Hearing me speak in Tamil, he headed straight for me with his puzzled wife in tow. He called me by the name known to only close family, left me pleasantly surprised. After exchanging pleasantries, we promise to see each other this Sunday.
Meanwhile, Murali (Muttaiah Muralitharan) arrived Friday morning and I had quick word on his great escape in Lahore. The magician seemed so cool. He landed up with a mild fever but was quick to recover. He should be at practice on Saturday along with (Thilan) Thushara.
Murali turns 37 on April 17 and, yes we will put together a celebration despite it being just a day before we play our first match in Cape Town.
