It’s the weather, stupid. It’s following the Indians everywhere in this tri-series, dislodging whatever plans there may have been in the pipeline. Melbourne was supposed to be a little better. It doesn’t look so now. A steady, nagging drizzle—a pretty sharp one at that—has made its irritating presence felt since the Indians landed, and a match, even at the MCG, had to be cut short because of that.The Indians arrived in the afternoon, peppy with their last-match (Brisbane) exuberance and form, so what if the match wasn’t completed? And they looked back to find the dark grey clouds have arrived too.The afternoon was a disaster, players sitting around in the hotel, looking out. Some were watching the proceedings of the Queensland-Victoria match at the MCG. With the rain pelting down, that game also was soon disrupted.The MCG drainage is good, but when the rain is better, it really overruns all assumptions.It was a disturbing thought. India play Australia here on Sunday, and it has to be remembered that India’s memories of Melbourne have not been good. They have been hammered. If the Brisbane spirit persists, there could be a different story scripted by the Indians here.Talking of spirit, it was high in at least one man—Sreesanth. It was his 25th birthday. Though there were no big celebrations in order, he and a few teammates did venture out for a walk down to the Yarra river, and then a bite at a local eatery. Nothing special, just a quiet affair. And even as the Indians were unwinding, chatting and watching telly, Gautam Gambhir was in a bit of a fix. His bags had been misplaced in transit, and it was time to run around. The Indians look forward to a nets session tomorrow, on the field, weather permitting. One relief has been the return of Team India’s logistics man Russell Radhakrishnan. He was down with the flu, and, having recovered, flew into Melbourne today.
