The battle within the battle as India’s openers take guard

Just when he needs help, it turns up in the form of Sachin Tendulkar. Gambhir takes guard in front of the world record-holder and pours out his doubts.

Tendulkar nods his head and suggests an open stance. The right foot constantly overstepping the stump line means Gambhir has moved too far across. The open stance would restrict the foot movement.

It means a minor change in footwork and Gambhir appears unsure. The master gives him an all-knowing smile. ‘‘It’s very simple,’’ he says. Then, as Gambhir walks to the nets, asks him to take a second opinion. ‘‘Also talk to Greg about it.’’

So we next see Gambhir sandwiched between the two —Tendulkar and Chappell — as the two greats discuss the young player’s problems. As Tendulkar tells his coach the advice he’s just given, Greg nods his head.

Soon it’s time to put theory into practice. Pathan, a left-arm swing bowler similar to Vaas, appears in on the problem as he maintains a middle-leg line. Gambhir grows in confidence with the new stance and starts to middle the ball.

Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the stadium, Wasim Jaffer pads up for his first press conference after the recall.

Jaffer pads up, leaves past problems behind

After a light jog Team India trainer Gregory King directs the players to several chairs arranged in a circle. Wasim Jaffer thinks it’s time for a team meeting and sits downs. Guffaws all around and a sheepish Jaffer gets up fast; the plastic chairs are just an exercise prop.

Seating arrangements have changed quite a bit in Indian cricket since Jaffer played his last Test at Trent Bridge in 2002.

But the faux pas helps break the ice and calm his nerves. So too does the presence of Mumbai teammates Tendulkar and Agarkar. Soon, Jaffer, 27, blends into the group of young men at the peak of their careers.

The pressure, though, never goes away. He is, after all, the man who’s replaced Sourav Ganguly, an unwitting participant in a controversy that has attracted comment from the BCCI president himself.

Yet he shows no fear of the pressure. ‘‘I’ve been through that and I know how to deal with it. When someone loses a place in the Test side he tries to work on his weaknesses. Playing the domestic circuit and the English county season gave me enough time to iron out the flaws,’’ he says.

The flaws he talks about deal with the moving ball, which exposed him during his last stint with the Indian team in England and the West Indies. The over-pitched swinging ball usually troubles openers, and the likes of Matthew Hoggard and Pedro Collins exposed this weakness in Jaffer.

So with Chaminda Vaas in form he faces probing questions — if he opens the innings on Sunday. He’s qualified for the chance by scoring big in domestic cricket both here and in England — but now comes the big Test. Indeed, he says he expected a recall given his form, and the expectation that India will tour to Pakistan with three openers.

He’s knocked on the door, he’s entered the room. Now Wasim Jaffer needs to find a chair, and make it his.