And then Imran walked up to PCB chief: ‘Get us a Pathan’

It was about Balaji, an unlikely batting hero, who had his broken bat autographed by his teammates. Dravid wrote: ‘It was a straight six off Shoaib, you deserve it.’’

It was about Irfan, mature beyond his years and bowling a line as though drawn by a set-square, who started singing Mere saamne wali khidki mein ek chand ka tukda rehta hai, the whole team joining in.

It was Yuvraj shedding the tensions of the past few weeks, making monkey noises in the dressing room.

It was John Wright shedding his phlegmatic self and jumping around.

It was Balaji again. The most popular member of the team now has a song in his name, coined by the Peshawar crowd: Balaji, zara dheere chalo. Today, his teammates pulled his leg by singing it repeatedly, telling him he was only the second Indian cricketer — after Gavaskar — to have a song named after him.

And it was Imran Khan, the Lion in his Den, walking up to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan in the 47th over and saying ‘‘Intehaa ho gayi zillat ki (this is the limit of humiliation). We must get someone like Pathan, this is too much.’’

For much of the match the Indians had things under control. There was a brief period, though, when Pakistan fought back through Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik. It had the backroom staff on edge, Wright wondering why there was a deep midwicket when he should be close in.

Ganguly, out of the field for much of the match with a ricked back, was restless and wanted to get on to the field, but the support staff asked him to stay back. His mind, though, was working overtime doing calculations of who would be bowling which over.

In the end, India were home in a canter. The team celebrated in the middle, joined by their captain, almost unable to comprehend the magnitude and facility of their success.

This is only half the tour done. Three Test matches — for many the main course of a feast long overdue — follow.

But the Indians are up for that. After all, didn’t they draw the Test series Down Under?