Post card from India: `Its still only pizzas and no love for curry'

This being my second tour to India and still not being a lover of curry, I've demolished 12 pizzas since the day we arrived. The Taj Mahal hotel is spacious, comfortable and has a great pool for us to lounge around after practice and have lunch with a few Castles. The night before the test match, we had our team meal in the Chinese restaurant and I plucked up enough courage to sample some of the lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork.

There have been one or two pretty looking ladies which has kept the smile on our faces while we walk around or laze at the pool.

Seeing that we are here in the sub-continent till April, I could definitely say that I am missing my Sunday evening escapades at La Med in Cape Town. I would like to say hi to my regular mates and hope that it is still as good as always and I look forward to some beverages on my return on the first of April; and that's no joke!

Nothing has changed as far the amount of hooting on the road is concerned. There are even more cars than before and where they manage to get their diver's licenses from I would like to know.

It seems like after 4 years we still have the same team bus with the same amount of mossies flying around to greet you in the morning. As far as shopping goes, I think I will give that a miss and rather wait till Jo'burg or Cape Town seeing that there is little much fashionable to buy here, or what I've seen for that matter.

I have managed to further my modeling career, when the whole team and then just 5 of us were put on the catwalk and in-front of the cameras last week to model some elegant mens' suits. The modeling agency here is not quite in the league of my agency Storm from back in Cape Town, but the lady models themselves are not too shabby.

Our preparation for the first test match was quite good with most of the batters getting sufficient time in the middle.

After the first day in the field during the 3-dayer, my right toe was a little painful again. You will recall this was the injury from the Kenya tournament in October last year and it still has not fully settled down. The fizz reckons that it is because the fields are so much harder here than at home and thus the toe gets swollen and bruised when I spend time batting or fielding. However, not to worry as we are treating it regularly and once I get some time off in April he assures me it will settle down completely.

Hope all is well in SA, hello to everyone back in CT and this is Herschelle signing off from India.