Digging their claws deep into the crest of the grass embankment to get a firm grip against the sway of the freezing breeze,a flock of shivering vultures watched the activity below with prying eyes. Immediately below their feathered torsos,Gary Kirsten gave the other scavengers the media much to squawk and squabble about. Armed with a leather mitten in his left hand,the coach unleashed hell with his right,numbing flesh and smashing bones with a rocketing cricket ball. While both the vultures and the reporters fluttered in the morbid reek of fear,the batsmen soon made themselves at home to the stinging smell of leather. Snorter after snorter,Kirsten beat down upon the venerated,until they danced in tune and ducked with poise eyes always fixed on the zipping ball until it crashed safely into the net behind. Helmets were crushed,bodies were bruised and thumbs were sored,but the spirit of war and the will to fight back were forged on the four lively batting strips,adjacent to the picturesque Supersport Park the venue for the first Test in Centurion on Monday. Acclimatising themselves to the delicate high-altitude air for the first time since landing on this side of the Indian Ocean,the full strength squad gathered around to get a whiff of what is expected in abundance during the upcoming series. And without a tour game to help them get in the right frame of mind,Kirsten and Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni ensured that they make the most of what they have at hand. According to Peter Kirsten,Garys elder brother,India will only win in South Africa when they learn to leave the ball better than they ever have. I do not mean in the first session or until the ball gets old,I mean all the time,day in day out. The trick to winning in South Africa is to leave the ball better than the other team, says Kirsten. If thats what it takes to win,then Sachin Tendulkar showed his team-mates how to do it. After others struggled and wobbled,Tendulkar was a picture of concentration,leaving more outside the off-stump than actually playing at it. The sessions at Cape Town with the coach seems to have paid instant dividends. Having arrived early in South Africa to practice in the Captonians private academy,Dhoni believes that the players are in the right frame of mind leading into the mouth-watering No.1 vs No.2 clash. We havent been doing things that will feed negative energy into our system, Dhoni says,speaking in tongues. The boys are relaxed and tired limbs are fully energised. We are mainly thinking about the process ahead, he explains later in English. But Kirstens opposite number,Corrie van Zyl,feels that India have not played enough white-flannelled cricket in South Africa to cope with the conditions. It isnt going to be very easy for the Indians. They havent played much in these conditions despite playing the IPL and Champions League here. Test cricket is a different ball game and were hoping that the conditions will support our quest, says van Zyl. Although van Zyls team couldnt practice due to the wetness earlier on in the morning,two local Centurion lads,Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel,will be smacking their lips in anticipation. Id be disappointed if Steyn and Morkel didnt steam in with some serious pace, says a grinning van Zyl. But in his ever-so-diplomatic way,Dhoni once again nipped the myth in the bud. Even though the hype is all about Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and the fast bowlers,cricket is not a sport of individuals. We have to take the full team into consideration and not fear or analyse a single aspect, claims Dhoni. Despite the mind games gaining momentum,the Indians did well to concentrate on the job at hand and show nerves of steel to battle Kirstens preliminaries in their first team net session. But against two fast locals in cold,windy and rainy conditions at the Supersport Park,it will be a different proposition altogether. Until then,the squawking,squabbling and carrion-eating in the media continues at full-throttle.
