Runs and ruins
Lots of big scores, plenty of ancient monuments. Dileep Premachandran soaks up the Pakistan experience
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January 6
Last time, on my way to Multan, I arrived in Lahore in the afternoon with the airport almost deserted. This time, with Eid almost upon us, the place is teeming with people when we land. There are no special queues to fast-track the Indian "guests" past immigration, and we have to wait nearly half an hour for a cab into the city. It's as cold as Delhi, and twice as polluted.
Last time, on my way to Multan, I arrived in Lahore in the afternoon with the airport almost deserted. This time, with Eid almost upon us, the place is teeming with people when we land. There are no special queues to fast-track the Indian "guests" past immigration, and we have to wait nearly half an hour for a cab into the city. It's as cold as Delhi, and twice as polluted.
January 7
The Bagh-e-Jinnah is a fair way from the Liberty Market where our hotel is situated, and we arrive to find a scene straight out of the early English summer. Picturesque parkland, players in white flannels and woollens, an antiquated scorecard, and a few hundred spectators peering through picket fences. The Indian batsmen pile on the runs, and the overall ambience is only ruined by the endless chat about Raj Singh Dungarpur's comments on Sourav Ganguly.
The Bagh-e-Jinnah is a fair way from the Liberty Market where our hotel is situated, and we arrive to find a scene straight out of the early English summer. Picturesque parkland, players in white flannels and woollens, an antiquated scorecard, and a few hundred spectators peering through picket fences. The Indian batsmen pile on the runs, and the overall ambience is only ruined by the endless chat about Raj Singh Dungarpur's comments on Sourav Ganguly.
January 8
Imran Farhat strengthens his Test claims with a powerful hundred. The Bagh is decidedly chilly; one warms up only after entering the very impressive library on the grounds. On the way back to the hotel there's a detour to Anarkali's tomb, in the grounds of the old secretariat. Legend has it that the beautiful courtesan was buried alive and years later Prince Salim - who had by then become Emperor Jehangir - built her a sarcophagus befitting her beauty. On it is a Persian couplet: "Could I see again the face of my lost friend, I would thank my God until the day of judgement."
Imran Farhat strengthens his Test claims with a powerful hundred. The Bagh is decidedly chilly; one warms up only after entering the very impressive library on the grounds. On the way back to the hotel there's a detour to Anarkali's tomb, in the grounds of the old secretariat. Legend has it that the beautiful courtesan was buried alive and years later Prince Salim - who had by then become Emperor Jehangir - built her a sarcophagus befitting her beauty. On it is a Persian couplet: "Could I see again the face of my lost friend, I would thank my God until the day of judgement."
January 9
The warm-up match having meandered to a draw, we head for Gawal Mandi's famed Food Street in the evening. Even at 11pm the beautifully lit space is fairly packed. The food, as it was the last time I visited, is exceptional, though a trip here is not for those of a vegetarian persuasion. If you like your meat, however, this is an essential stop on your Lahore itinerary. So what if they haven't heard of the cholesterol problem?
The warm-up match having meandered to a draw, we head for Gawal Mandi's famed Food Street in the evening. Even at 11pm the beautifully lit space is fairly packed. The food, as it was the last time I visited, is exceptional, though a trip here is not for those of a vegetarian persuasion. If you like your meat, however, this is an essential stop on your Lahore itinerary. So what if they haven't heard of the cholesterol problem?
January 10
The Indian team's media interaction day turns out to be an utter farce. What was meant to be a free-for-all session, where individual players interact with small groups of journalists, turns out to be a regular press conference with all the players up on the dais. Things get off to an eerie start with piqued journalists refusing to ask questions and the players staring in bemusement until a voice finally shatters the angry silence. The four or five journalists who break rank ask plenty of questions, but the uncomfortable atmosphere remains as the players figure out for themselves why the faces they see at close of play all the time are now studiously staring at writing pads or gazing at the unremarkable ceiling.
The Indian team's media interaction day turns out to be an utter farce. What was meant to be a free-for-all session, where individual players interact with small groups of journalists, turns out to be a regular press conference with all the players up on the dais. Things get off to an eerie start with piqued journalists refusing to ask questions and the players staring in bemusement until a voice finally shatters the angry silence. The four or five journalists who break rank ask plenty of questions, but the uncomfortable atmosphere remains as the players figure out for themselves why the faces they see at close of play all the time are now studiously staring at writing pads or gazing at the unremarkable ceiling.
January 11
The Indian team has a relaxed net session in the afternoon at the National Cricket Academy adjacent to the Gaddafi Stadium. One of the bowlers, a burly figure with a thick mop of hair, has a run-up as long as Shoaib Akhtar's, but the balls he bowls come out at comfortable medium pace. Greg Chappell and Ian Frazer chuck down the odd doosra, despite the fact that India no longer need to worry about Muttiah Muralitharan. Later, at slip-catching practice, Ganguly keeps edging the ball to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who are crouched just behind him. "Comes naturally to him," says a wag with a hint of malice. Late-night plans to go to the famed Cooco's Den in Heera Mandi are cancelled, and instead we leave the dubious comforts of our hotel to move in with Murtaza Razvi, who edits the Lahore edition of The Dawn.
The Indian team has a relaxed net session in the afternoon at the National Cricket Academy adjacent to the Gaddafi Stadium. One of the bowlers, a burly figure with a thick mop of hair, has a run-up as long as Shoaib Akhtar's, but the balls he bowls come out at comfortable medium pace. Greg Chappell and Ian Frazer chuck down the odd doosra, despite the fact that India no longer need to worry about Muttiah Muralitharan. Later, at slip-catching practice, Ganguly keeps edging the ball to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who are crouched just behind him. "Comes naturally to him," says a wag with a hint of malice. Late-night plans to go to the famed Cooco's Den in Heera Mandi are cancelled, and instead we leave the dubious comforts of our hotel to move in with Murtaza Razvi, who edits the Lahore edition of The Dawn.
January 12
The pre-match press conferences are staid affairs, considering neither captain is the sort prone to bluster or bombast. Much of the discussion surrounds a pitch that has been rolled pancake-flat and is bone-dry to boot. The rumour mill is also churning overtime and word has it that Ganguly - who had seemed unlikely to play, given the form shown by the openers in the tour game - may be shoehorned into the XI. The day after his 33rd birthday there are few smiles on Dravid's face, and it's the Pakistanis who look more upbeat heading into the first Test of what will hopefully be an enthralling series.
The pre-match press conferences are staid affairs, considering neither captain is the sort prone to bluster or bombast. Much of the discussion surrounds a pitch that has been rolled pancake-flat and is bone-dry to boot. The rumour mill is also churning overtime and word has it that Ganguly - who had seemed unlikely to play, given the form shown by the openers in the tour game - may be shoehorned into the XI. The day after his 33rd birthday there are few smiles on Dravid's face, and it's the Pakistanis who look more upbeat heading into the first Test of what will hopefully be an enthralling series.
January 13
A day that starts disastrously for the Indians ends with Pakistan piling up 326 for 2 before bad light puts a stop to the carnage. An observant TV cameraman captures a heated on-field discussion between an animated Ganguly, a stony-faced Dravid, and a stoic Chappell before the toss. Word leaks out later that it's merely the continuation of a heated altercation that started in the dressing room between Dravid and his predecessor. Dravid's day gets no better: Younis Khan, plunderer supreme in last year's series between the two sides, slams a century, and Mohammad Yousuf - the batting artist formerly known as Youhana - moves to the verge of one. It being Eid weekend, hardly anyone's around to watch. We go for late-night coffee and dessert to a lounge that turns out to stock almost nothing that's on the menu. Murphy's Law at work for Indians in Lahore?
A day that starts disastrously for the Indians ends with Pakistan piling up 326 for 2 before bad light puts a stop to the carnage. An observant TV cameraman captures a heated on-field discussion between an animated Ganguly, a stony-faced Dravid, and a stoic Chappell before the toss. Word leaks out later that it's merely the continuation of a heated altercation that started in the dressing room between Dravid and his predecessor. Dravid's day gets no better: Younis Khan, plunderer supreme in last year's series between the two sides, slams a century, and Mohammad Yousuf - the batting artist formerly known as Youhana - moves to the verge of one. It being Eid weekend, hardly anyone's around to watch. We go for late-night coffee and dessert to a lounge that turns out to stock almost nothing that's on the menu. Murphy's Law at work for Indians in Lahore?
January 14
A stranger insists on dropping us right in front of the stadium in the morning, and we're well in time to watch Yousuf and Younis carry on the fun and games. The pitch that at first glance had promised broken hearts for bowlers lives up to its capricious reputation and there are stunning centuries from Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal before Inzamam, the only man apart from Salman Butt to fail, decides that his boys have flogged the dead Indian horse enough. Later that evening at a dinner party in an upmarket suburb I hear a guest say that Pakistan were fortunate to win the toss. "If India had batted on this pitch, they would have made 800," he says, mental equilibrium perhaps disturbed by memories of the last tour and Virender Sehwag's romp at Multan. It turns out that he's an actor, starring in a movie that features John Abraham, the hunk with Al Pacino's acting skills (not). Stories of shooting across the border in Taliban-infested Afghanistan keep us spellbound, and the food is lovely too. As another guest says: "Most people eat to live, Lahoris live to eat."
A stranger insists on dropping us right in front of the stadium in the morning, and we're well in time to watch Yousuf and Younis carry on the fun and games. The pitch that at first glance had promised broken hearts for bowlers lives up to its capricious reputation and there are stunning centuries from Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal before Inzamam, the only man apart from Salman Butt to fail, decides that his boys have flogged the dead Indian horse enough. Later that evening at a dinner party in an upmarket suburb I hear a guest say that Pakistan were fortunate to win the toss. "If India had batted on this pitch, they would have made 800," he says, mental equilibrium perhaps disturbed by memories of the last tour and Virender Sehwag's romp at Multan. It turns out that he's an actor, starring in a movie that features John Abraham, the hunk with Al Pacino's acting skills (not). Stories of shooting across the border in Taliban-infested Afghanistan keep us spellbound, and the food is lovely too. As another guest says: "Most people eat to live, Lahoris live to eat."
January 16
Whatever the Pakistani batsmen could do, Sehwag does better. With the exception of Shoaib, who's quick and hostile - but doesn't bowl too many wicket-taking deliveries - the bowlers take a leathering, with drives and cuts thudding into the boundary hoardings. On TV, Imran Khan reckons that Sehwag cuts the ball harder than any man in living memory, even Gordon Greenidge, whose rollicking square-cut-studded 214 once made a 342-run chase at Lord's seem as easy as a Sunday-morning stroll. By evening, with Sehwag having gambolled his way to 247, all talk of psychological advantage has been consigned to where it belongs - the garbage heap.
Whatever the Pakistani batsmen could do, Sehwag does better. With the exception of Shoaib, who's quick and hostile - but doesn't bowl too many wicket-taking deliveries - the bowlers take a leathering, with drives and cuts thudding into the boundary hoardings. On TV, Imran Khan reckons that Sehwag cuts the ball harder than any man in living memory, even Gordon Greenidge, whose rollicking square-cut-studded 214 once made a 342-run chase at Lord's seem as easy as a Sunday-morning stroll. By evening, with Sehwag having gambolled his way to 247, all talk of psychological advantage has been consigned to where it belongs - the garbage heap.
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January 17
The quest to overhaul Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy ends in failure on a dank, cold and gloomy day. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and his team-mates celebrate Sehwag's dismissal as though a series has been won - no doubt a response to Sehwag's jibes at the press conference the previous evening about the toothlessness of Pakistan's much-vaunted attack. We head out once again to Food Street. With Basant around the corner, kites are being sold, despite there being talk of a ban. In the City of Sin and Splendour, as a recent book on Lahore is titled, such prohibition is unlikely to curry public favour.
The quest to overhaul Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy ends in failure on a dank, cold and gloomy day. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and his team-mates celebrate Sehwag's dismissal as though a series has been won - no doubt a response to Sehwag's jibes at the press conference the previous evening about the toothlessness of Pakistan's much-vaunted attack. We head out once again to Food Street. With Basant around the corner, kites are being sold, despite there being talk of a ban. In the City of Sin and Splendour, as a recent book on Lahore is titled, such prohibition is unlikely to curry public favour.
January 18
A day off is a luxury in these times of whistle-stop tours, and after a lazy afternoon that includes a haircut at the Odeon Saloon - the hairdressers are all in suits, and far better groomed than most journalists - we head for Heera Mandi at night. Avoiding the lure of the heavenly aromas wafting from Cooco's various stalls, we wander into the quadrangle that houses the pavilion Ranjit Singh built over 200 years ago. On one side is the imposing Lahore gate, which dates back to the 16th century, and on the other the sublime beauty of the Badshahi mosque. With its subtle lighting, the scene has an ethereal quality and we're so caught up in taking pictures that we don't notice the gates being shut. A few yells for help later, we're let out through the gate on the opposite side, and find we need to stroll across the former bed of the Ravi to get back to Heera Mandi. Apart from various eating joints, the only other establishment that's open sells footwear. Murtaza tells us that it dates back to the days when inebriated men would leave their shoes behind at the brothel and thus need a spare pair before they could take the scenic route home. We see plenty of banners promoting the Lahore marathon later in the month. On FM radio there is a discussion about love and threesomes - pretty radical stuff.
A day off is a luxury in these times of whistle-stop tours, and after a lazy afternoon that includes a haircut at the Odeon Saloon - the hairdressers are all in suits, and far better groomed than most journalists - we head for Heera Mandi at night. Avoiding the lure of the heavenly aromas wafting from Cooco's various stalls, we wander into the quadrangle that houses the pavilion Ranjit Singh built over 200 years ago. On one side is the imposing Lahore gate, which dates back to the 16th century, and on the other the sublime beauty of the Badshahi mosque. With its subtle lighting, the scene has an ethereal quality and we're so caught up in taking pictures that we don't notice the gates being shut. A few yells for help later, we're let out through the gate on the opposite side, and find we need to stroll across the former bed of the Ravi to get back to Heera Mandi. Apart from various eating joints, the only other establishment that's open sells footwear. Murtaza tells us that it dates back to the days when inebriated men would leave their shoes behind at the brothel and thus need a spare pair before they could take the scenic route home. We see plenty of banners promoting the Lahore marathon later in the month. On FM radio there is a discussion about love and threesomes - pretty radical stuff.
January 19
After an uneventful bus ride across Punjab's plains, the bustle and vibrancy of Lahore is replaced by the industrial chaos of Faisalabad. Weather forecasts had predicted more gloom but we step out into bright sunshine. The only thing that hasn't changed is the pitch which, to quote Dungarpur, is the cousin of that used at the Gaddafi.
After an uneventful bus ride across Punjab's plains, the bustle and vibrancy of Lahore is replaced by the industrial chaos of Faisalabad. Weather forecasts had predicted more gloom but we step out into bright sunshine. The only thing that hasn't changed is the pitch which, to quote Dungarpur, is the cousin of that used at the Gaddafi.
January 20
After the teams practise and we've sat through two more perfunctory press conferences, the little birds start whispering about the possibility of India playing five bowlers. If that happens, Ganguly is in line for the chop.
After the teams practise and we've sat through two more perfunctory press conferences, the little birds start whispering about the possibility of India playing five bowlers. If that happens, Ganguly is in line for the chop.
January 21
No Ganguly, and no change in India's bowling fortunes. Despite promising spells from RP Singh and Zaheer Khan, Afridi and Inzamam are just too good. In front of a raucous crowd that just adores Lala - as Afridi is called - the fours and sixes fly thick and fast. At the end of the day Dravid laughs when asked what more he could have done.
No Ganguly, and no change in India's bowling fortunes. Despite promising spells from RP Singh and Zaheer Khan, Afridi and Inzamam are just too good. In front of a raucous crowd that just adores Lala - as Afridi is called - the fours and sixes fly thick and fast. At the end of the day Dravid laughs when asked what more he could have done.
January 22
The Lala show enthralls the crowd for 44 more balls, and a mere 71 runs. But even that is eclipsed by the courage of Inzamam, who takes four high-potency pain-killing shots to come out and complete an epic 25th century.
The Lala show enthralls the crowd for 44 more balls, and a mere 71 runs. But even that is eclipsed by the courage of Inzamam, who takes four high-potency pain-killing shots to come out and complete an epic 25th century.
January 23
After Dravid brings up a second successive century, Shoaib's pace injects life into the match. But India have an Afridi of their own in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who responds to Danish Kaneria's provocation with a six that sails over the stands. The new Gilchrist? No chance. The boy's an original.
After Dravid brings up a second successive century, Shoaib's pace injects life into the match. But India have an Afridi of their own in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who responds to Danish Kaneria's provocation with a six that sails over the stands. The new Gilchrist? No chance. The boy's an original.
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Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo