The Tattle

Despite his impending retirement,the enigma around Shoaib Akhtar is still alive.

Akhtar still draws fans,and policemen

Despite his impending retirement,the enigma around Shoaib Akhtar is still alive. Though there were times Akhtar was mobbed by pretty-little-things whenever he came to play in India,on Monday afternoon he had to be content with policeman hovering for his attention. After morning practice,Akhtar indulged in some heavily accented Punjabi conversation with a policeman. Though the khaki-clad would have used the opportunity to wish luck to the speedster,if Akhtar gets to play on Wednesday,he would be hoping Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have bigger shares of luck.

Marvelling at the marbles

The marble tile Pakistani batsmen used to prepare for Zaheer Khans bowling has caught some high-profile attention. On Monday,Sachin Tendulkar was seen making use of the tile that the Pakistan team had left behind at the nets. Tendulkar used the uneven movement provided by the tile to fine-tune his square cuts and backfoot strokes. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni couldnt help but ask Sachin if the tile really helped. Dhoni stopped short of trying it on his own but Virender Sehwag did give it a go after Tendulkar left. There is talk of the tile becoming part of the training regime of the Indian team.

His brothers keeper

When younger brother Mushtaq Afridi found himself stranded at the Wagah border as he attempted to enter India to watch the semi-final,the elder Afridi in the family and Pakistan captain Shahid came to his rescue,even if it was by making a few phone calls. Mushtaq,himself a first class cricketer was stopped at the Wagah border as he did not have proper documentation for his match-ticket. It is not a big issue. I had the copy of the ticket from the internet but the authorities wanted to see the hard copy, Mushtaq said. Sources said that Mushtaq had contacted his brother in Mohali for assistance. Shahid Afridi is taking care of things. But the authorities obviously didnt want to take any chances, a source said.

Doing Gods small things

So just what does it take to be Team Indias video analyst? Just ask Dhananjay. The man with no surname not only gets to point out Sachin Tendulkars flaws during team meetings,but he is also asked to stroke his bat during training,by the master himself. When the team commenced practice on Monday,Tendulkar was busy instructing Dhananjay on how to break his brand new bat in. Holding as many as nine cricket balls in hands and pockets Dhananjay spent the practice session smashing the bat to leather,against the net. By the time the three hour long training concluded,new bat looked seasoned and old,ready for use against Pakistan. If Tendulkar does get out cheaply and looks at his bat in disgust,guess it wont be the video analyst who points his mistake out on Wednesday.

Double role

As the misunderstanding about ticket booths reopening magically spread across the city,the crowds poured in by the thousand,blocking up all roads to Chandigarhs outskirts. Soon after lathi-charging the crazed fans outside the PCA Stadium in Mohali to get in snaking lines and queues,inspector Gurpreet Singh name changed flagged down the closest auto-rickshaw,heading away into the distance. As a policeman,Im not allowed to stand in line and buy/receive tickets. Hence,Im heading back to the station to change into civilian clothes, he says,without batting an eyelid. Gurpreet will return,but one wonders whether the lathi will stay by his side in the queue. For if any of the smacked customers happen to recognise him,the policeman will surely need it for his own protection.