Lull before the storm

Standing on their toes,the Gujarat policemen nervously peeped from under,over and around their colleagues shoulders,as the batsman strutted into the nets at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera.

Standing on their toes,the Gujarat policemen nervously peeped from under,over and around their colleagues shoulders,as the batsman strutted into the nets at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera. The usually noisy bunch in khakhi went silence as Sachin Tendulkar wielded the willow against the local net bowlers,Indian pacers and coach Gary Kirstens customary throw-downs.

It wasnt just the security men who momentarily gave up their duties on Wednesday but all of Ahmedabad seems to have decelerated into a screeching halt. Autorickshaw drivers constantly refused to accept passengers until the Indian team bus left the premises,while maniacal fans laced the circumference of the ground with posters and banners mostly bearing the face of a cricketer with 49 Test centuries under his belt.

On the eve of the first Test between India and New Zealand,the entire city lay submerged beneath the brilliance of what could be an ever-green smear on Tendulkars already colourful canvas of milestones.

With the possibility of Tendulkar scoring his 50th Test century,how could the match avoid being reduced to nothing more than a important,but personal landmark?

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni keeps the answer simple. What is more important is that we concentrate on the game at hand,the first Test between India and New Zealand. I dont think it is difficult to arrange a good last-minute celebration,and we are always prepared for a landmark. But our priority right now should be on winning the game,nothing else, Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference,adding,I do hope that Tendulkar gets the milestone,it is a very big one in Test cricket.

Tendulkar isnt the only one on the brink of a record at Ahmedabad,as New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori will be playing his 100th Test match for his country. The bespectacled 31-year old is also 38 runs short of becoming only the third player after Kapil Dev and Ian Botham to score 4000 runs and scalp 300 Test wickets. But almost expectedly,the focus of his teams practice session was solely on the cricket.

The intensity was there for all to see,as the Kiwis dived,bruised and flung themselves around under the burning sun at the Motera,recreating match situations to up the ante during their catching and fielding drills.

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The only human frailty shown by the Kiwis throughout their session was when both skipper Vettori and coach Mark Greatbatch made frequent visits to the centre square,gesturing with disappoint at the 22-yard strip. Nothing can imbibe fear in the visiting team like a bad Indian pitch,and Ahmedabad is famously known to produce the worst of them.

Curator Dhiraj Parsannas predictions of heavy turn from Day Two mustve been music to Dhonis ears,but after the last two performances on this ground by the Indians,the skipper will be extremely weary of choosing to bat first considering he manages to win the toss.

India were rocked by a raging Dale Steyn as they collapsed to 76 all out in 20 overs against South Africa in 2008 and lost the match by a humiliating innings and 90 runs,and stumbled to 32/4 against the Sri Lankans last year,before Dravid played the innings of his life to rescue the side with a century,both after winning the toss.

The home side has won just 30 per cent of their matches here,making it a frustrating experience for the fans who line-up in queues to watch their heroes.

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But come Thursday,the paying public will hope that India do bat first,for they too lie on the brink of celebrating the festival of firecrackers something the city has put on hold for two days in a row.

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