Practice on the beach, but no holiday

Teams keep fingers crossed, weatherman provides no assurance Ganguly8217;s MRI scan shows no tear, should be fit for Hyderabad.

The outdoor press conference at the team hotel took place by the sea with a luxury yacht anchored by the side and power boats with foreign tourists whizzing past in the background.

The post-training traditional media briefing at the stadium couldn8217;t take place as overnight rains had seen the outfield go from soggy to soggier on the eve of the second India-Australia ODI.

Aussie skipper Adam Gilchrist, speaking about an 8216;iffy8217; cricket game at a 8216;water sport8217; hot spot of this tourist heaven the setting couldn8217;t have been a more apt.

As Kochi toggled between light showers and heavy sunlight, the players faced a difficult dilemma. With the slim prospect of being on the field tomorrow at the back of their minds, they couldn8217;t get into the holiday mood despite the temptations of the blissfully serene coastline.

Gilchrist wasn8217;t exactly in a mood to shift from his hotel room to a luxury houseboat yet, and he had a word of advice for others. 8220;You got to be careful not to totally switch off and almost get into a holiday mode and all of a sudden be out there play a one-day international. We will keep preparing with team meetings, team planning meetings, physically keep ourselves right and fully expect to play. That8217;s all we can do. If it doesn8217;t happen it doesn8217;t happen,8221; he said.

There was a similar feeling in the Indian camp as the manager of the Indian team Lalchand Rajput was candid enough to confess that the team was desperate for a break. 8220;They have been travelling for some time. This series follows the Twenty20 World Cup where most of the guys were. Actually, they are looking forward to this break,8221; he said. But pointing to the skies he says 8220;nothing is in our hands8221;.

Rajput, along with the coaching staff members Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad had done the ground inspection earlier in the morning after Gilchrist and Aussie coach Tim Nielsen checked the match-fitness of the venue. But like everyone else Rajput said that there was a lot of water in the outfield and only bright sunshine could see the game taking place. 8220;We are keeping our fingers crossed,8221; he said.

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The fingers might be crossed, but the Indians weren8217;t quite twiddling their thumbs all day. They had a gym session in the morning, and with the hotel facility not quite spacious the Indian team worked out in batches. Batsmen followed the bowlers. In the evening the players had a meeting and this followed by honouring the dinner invitation of local boy S Sreesanth at his place. As for the fitness reports, Sourav Ganguly8217;s MRI scan showed no tear and that means he is expected to be fit for the Hyderabad game, while Harbhajan Singh, who had a stiff neck in Bangalore, was declared match fit.

With no such encouraging news about the ground fitness on cards, all eyes in Kochi are aimed sky wards. Will it be a total washout or will be Bangalored? The players would prefer the first option but the crowd would like at least some action as was the case in the first game.