With notes from his daily dairy,Sandeep Dwivedi sums up the idiosyncracies of a Test series that will go down in history March 17 wake-up call The inter-city bus stations proximity to Seddon Park comes as a blessing after arriving in Hamilton on the eve of the first Test. Across the road,we see a lush outfield and meet groundsman KJ. He has been to Pune to work on pitches there and his pitch bytes are reminiscent of home help for pacers early and spinners will come into play later. Weve heard that several times before from Indian curators Chotelal and Rasikbhai to Daljit Singh and Dhiraj Parsanna. The playing-XI puzzle gets cryptic at the Indian net session Balaji is sweating it out,Munaf is merely loitering. Broadcaster Sony wants a delayed start so that fans back home can get an extra hour of sleep,but it doesnt work and India has to wake up at 3.30 am. March 18 stirred and shaken Indian newspaper reporters get a first feel of the strange challenge that New Zealands seven-and-a-half time difference provides. Regular match reports are ruled out and that clichéd first hour is important line at the end of copy is strictly not allowed. Stories that arent time bound is the requirement,with news features the top priority for the coming three weeks. Another first is sitting on bar stools in a rickety,temporary press box,which is perched on a similar box that,in turn,is held high by iron pipes. When New Zealand are 61/6,the excitement in the press box gives us a shaky feeling. March 19 kit shopping Run into Peter Inspector Gadget McGlashan near the Indian dressing room. He isnt in the Test squad but he is here to talk to Dinesh Karthik,who wants the famous wicketkeeping mask. McGlashan had been at the team hotel a day before since Tendulkar and VVS wanted some unconventionally designed equipment from his kit bag. The ever-smiling keeper bids farewell and speaks about his hopes of making it to the World T20. That wish is granted in the coming days. Next he wants to be in the IPL. Maybe in season three? March 20 thanks sachin In the stands is an old man in a long kurta and short pyjama,with a flowing white beard,a prayer cap,and a nasal voice. He is Mohammad,a Fijian Indian who leads a life that is the privilege of the blessed. He has earned enough for an early retirement and with children settled in four countries,he is a compulsive traveller. His base these days is Auckland,where his son lives and Mohammad picks the second day for his first-ever Test-match experience. He gets to see a Sachin hundred. March 21 wheres viru? Had Mohammad stayed for an extra day,he wouldve seen Indias historic win as well. Needing 39 for a win,Dravid walks in with Gambhir to finish the job. Why not Sehwag? ask those with a finger constantly on the panic button. They had missed the fact that the regular opener was out of the field when the last Kiwi wicket fell. Later Dhoni is asked the question. He has an embarrassed smile on his face as he says,Well,he had to go inside before the last wicket fell. March 22 ipl in the news The Indian team moves to Auckland, the IPL moves to South Africa. Tendulkar,the Mumbai Indians captain,is disappointed that he will miss the home fans. All agree,but seem relieved that at least the second season is on. Auckland is Team Indias official spa on this tour a place where work is secondary (or optional,as they say). Hopping from a sky tower,being in water with sharks and jumping off bridges tied to an elastic rope are prominent on Team Indias to-do list. March 23 Kem chho Jeet THE Indians bat in the nets against three leggies national selector Narendra Hirwani,who still hits the spot with his first ball,former Zimbabwe spinner and present Auckland coach Paul Strang and his ward Jeet Rawal. The boy from Ahmedabad gives a big kem chho,and talks about the travails of being a vegetarian in the Auckland dressing room. A week later,he gets 260 against Central District in a first class game and is on television speaking about how curry takes care of the strain of a long innings. March 24 shades of black The merchandise shop at Eden Park seems pretty dark; sporting heroes in these parts wear different shades of black. But a beige corner attracts many it was the colour worn by the cricket team in the 80s and has become something of a cult trend. Richard Hadlee wore the shade in his early days,and its a past New Zealand doesnt want to forget. The other memorable colour is from the 92 World Cup fans can still be spotted with a grey T-shirt with multi-coloured strips crossing the shoulders. March 25 dhonis philosophy The late arrival of the Indian team in Napier becomes a talking point and Dhoni turns into a philosopher. At the press conference where complex phrases such as state of mind are spouted freely,the Indian skipper explains,in great detail,how the mind is different from the brain. The only thing missing is new-age music in the background as he gives his discourse. March 26 home advantage Proud day for Napier as local boys Taylor and Ryder are among the runs. Taylors mother,who is of Samoan origin,is in the stands. The mother and son comfortably sit in the crowd during the break without getting mobbed. There are several Ryder supporters around as well some from his school,some from his club,and theres also someone who says he once gave him a lift to the ground. March 27 taste of india Run into a former state-level cyclist from Punjab during the lunch break. The young man with rough hands says that he had participated in the Guwahati Nationals but left the country because he couldnt find a job back home. These days he drives a four-wheeler and owns a house in Hastings,a farming town near Napier. He is a plucker in the apple orchards. For eight hours of work every weekday,he earns about NZ $1000 and boasts that his children speak in accented English. Money doesnt grow on trees in Hastings,but,in a way you can say it does, he jokes. March 28 gambhir,nothing else Lots of claps for Gambhir when he returns to the pavilion at lunch,tea and finally at stumps. Hes rock solid all day. Nothing else happens. March 29 the team man Its a Gambhir show again as he saves the Test for India after a 10-hour-40 minute innings. Its a big surprise to see him play football with his team mates after stumps. I wasnt very tired, he says later. Dhoni said the team was down by a goal and wanted me in,so I played. March 30 culture shock India lead 1-0 as the last week approaches. The day is spent researching the origins of Gavaskar Street. The City Council office is a culture shock. There are no hanger-ons,no touts,no tables with typists,and the walls dont have red stains. The hotel-like reception gives directions to the Information Desk,where the lady takes out a map and marks the relevant destinations with a highlighter. March 31 the baacode Lost in window shopping on the way to the ground. An elegant jacket looks tempting. Check the price tag and the Baacode thats not a spelling mistake,but a Kiwi innovation that helps zero in on the sheep from which the material for the jacket came. When fed on a computer,the number takes you to pictures of the farm and animal that had a role to play in the making of the garment. Pick up a milk bottle in the evening,no Moocode there. April 1 curry and the flag Across the road,a Yuvraj Singh-six away from the stadium,is a curry place where the chef likes to be called Panditji. For the first time in several weeks,tava roti is available. The place has a tri-colour outside. A restaurant hand tells us what Panditji,originally from Hardwar,said when a New Zealand fan asked him to take the flag down: You can take down the shop but dont touch the flag. Didnt ask if he was a Sunny Deol fan. April 2 all fools? The English media reports that Gary Kirsten is short-listed for the coaching job for the Ashes. After a long wait in the hotel lobby,it seems it was nothing more than an All Fools Day joke. April 3 up and over Its a day spent watching Indian batsmen guide the short ball over the slips. Tendulkar fails twice but Zaheer,Harbhajan and even Munaf manage it. It just proves that it was the day when the Indian tail wagged. April 4 zak. and ishant Zaheer makes the ball do the talking by taking five wickets but doesnt speak to the media after that. Surprisingly,its Ishant who faces the cameras but seems too overwhelmed to talk about his mentor. April 5 gambhir,again Clap for Gambhir when he returns to the pavilion at lunch,at tea and finally just before at stumps. Hes rock solid all day. Again,nothing else happens. April 6 cut too fine Those with early flights home hope this is a four-day Test. But Dhoni prefers to bat on and on. New Zealand suddenly find second wind and survive till stumps. The forecast says rain will fall on the final day after lunch. It seems India might have cut this one too fine. April 7 rain,and history It does rain. After a 41-year wait,the rest is history.
