Bolstered by their win yesterday, the Indian team landed in Durban this evening looking forward to the matches ahead. They may be forgiven for thinking they were back home; this is Little India not just in terms of present demographics but also in history.For Pietermaritzburg, where India plays Namibia on Sunday, is where Gandhi began his journey that would end with India’s Independence. The Indian cricketers will be hoping to go full steam ahead here in the quest for their holy grail.‘‘The team deserves a break, so no practice today,’’ Saurav Ganguly said while boarding the bus. But was quick to add that nets would be held first thing tomorrow.That, though, will be followed by the team paying homage to the Mahatma by unveiling a plaque at 28main station. It was here that Gandhi was infamously pushed out of a whites-only compartment and vowed to fight for equality.While the Indians have reportedly been flooded with dinner invitations from the expat community, their entry into Durban was anonymous by Indian standards. The South Africans are preoccupied with the problems affecting their own team, both on the field and off it. Slide rules and calculators are out in full force working on the fuzzy maths of the hosts’ qualification chances. Chances that are being undermined by internal dissent. ‘Give poor Polly a break’ ran the headline in a Johannesburg daily. And The Mercury in Durban confirmed he was indeed getting such a break: his wife is expecting their first child after the tournament.Or maybe Durban and Pietermaritzburg are simply enjoying the lull before the storm: Come Sunday, the Barmy Army is expected here in full force for the India-England match.
