5 days to go, teams settle tingling nerves

Pak land after Delhi dargah visit; Woolmer Fletcher share notes

With just five days left for the main round of the Champions Trophy, the big guns have reached the venues and are settling those tingling nerves in their own ways. While Team India landed here today to prepare for a practice match against a Rajasthan XI, Pakistan and England have already started settling down. The West Indies, of course, are preparing for their match against Bangladesh tomorrow.

By evening, the quiet sense of anticipation was palpable. Two of the finest brains in international cricket, Bob Woolmer and Duncan Fletcher were seen exchanging notes over a drink. A little further away, Greg Chappell settled for a full course meal at the Chandravanshi food pavilion along with wife Judi, his deputy Ian Fraser and newly appointed sports psychologist, Rudi Webster.

The entire Indian team attended a clothes-fitting session along the poolside while Ranjan Madugalle, back after his famous Oval date, found his usual company of umpires Daryl Harper, Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden and Steve Bucknor. The England players, skipper Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, settled over for a quick munch.

Moving around the Rajputana Sheraton lobby 8212; the team hotel 8212; a Charlie Chaplin lookalike amused the West Indians. Ramnaresh Sarwan, recovering from a viral, found his appetite growing with the varieties on the menu even as most of Bangladesh cricketers spent the morning hopping for sarees.

After four of the Pakistan players, including skipper Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, visited the Nizammudin dargah in Delhi early morning, the team preferred a quiet evening in their rooms itself.

The teams are all relaxed, obliging to autographs and photographs, and enjoyed their evening. But that is all the lull before the storm.

Starting tomorrow morning, India will play a practice match, dividing the 14 in two sides with one half joining the Rajasthan Ranji team. And the first thing trainer Gregory King did after landing at the team hotel is get the menu right for the players, including for the practice match. England and Pakistan, too, will engage in serious nets as teams gather momentum.