Before play started, both walked up to the track to look closely at the surface. And after some discussion decided that it was hard and well-rolled. Their pitch report: Batsmen friendly but not a belter.

Also around, though in different roles, were other colleagues of these stalwarts. One of them, Ajit Agarkar, stretched his hamstring while Zaheer Khan, in an adjoining net, gave tips to left-armer Arvind. Not far from them, Vettori went through his pre-game drill, assisted by Venkatesh Prasad, an excellent coach with terrific work ethic. While the teams trained, some interested observers watched from a distance. For instance, Kepler Wessels, a former South Africa captain. Once known for his grit and inflexible style, Kepler, part of the IPL broadcast team, now comes across as an unbiased and perceptive expert. 

So is K Srikkanth, chairman of the selection committee. He thinks only those teams that have the right Indian talent will succeed in the IPL. His formula: Pick hungry players from Ranji who have no pressure of playing for India, no reputations to protect and no fear of justifying high auction prices.