Could be an epidemic: Chappell

Even though a bright sun-kissed Friday morning at the Air Force Sports Complex seemed like just another day of practice for the Indians, no one even presumed the team would arrive with ample surprises for everyone.

Even though a bright sun-kissed Friday morning at the Air Force Sports Complex seemed like just another day of practice for the Indians, no one even presumed the team would arrive with ample surprises for everyone.

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Just a day before their face-off with Sri Lanka, the Indian team arrived at the ground without Rahul Dravid, a mild fever keeping the skipper back at the hotel. Dravid's illness came 24 hours after Virender Sehwag had missed practice on Wednesday, not because he was "taking it easy" but because he was hospitalised due to Pharyngitis. Later in the evening, it was known that Rahul Dravid had fully recovered from fever and was ready to captain his side on Saturday.

While the fitness of both captain and vice-captain led to speculation, another shocker came when Mohammad Kaif made a silent exit without practising much. Reportedly, Kaif had been up all night due to a stomach upset and had returned to the hotel to sleep it off. "There is a lot of speculation about Kaif's departure but he went through the drills. He just finished soon," said media manager Wg Cdr Baladitya, trying hard to hide behind reality.

Coach Greg Chappell said he was least hassled about his unfit captain and vice-captain, saying the question mark over the captaincy was rather hypothetical. "We will deal with the captaincy issue if it so demands. It is hypothetical to ask a question like this," said the Australian.

Chappell also said that because of the "epidemic", the team might go into the Test with a new playing XI. "It's an epidemic. We might play the match with a full new XI," said a stone-faced Chappell.

However, Chappell did confess that the "virus" had left him concerned but not too jittery. "I'm worried but not stressed. I wish they would have been 100 per cent fit," he said.

On Sachin Tendulkar's approaching 35th Test hundred, Chappell said the sooner he reaches it the better -- keeping in mind the pressure on him, mounting with every Test. "If Sachin gets to his 35th in the upcoming Test, good for him. He can't escape the pressure from the media and his fans," said Chappell.

Chappell refused to say anything on the Ferozeshah Kotla wicket but his thoughts strayed back to the time when he was wearing the Baggy Green cap, saying that as a player he used to try not to get too concerned about how the wicket would play. "I can't comment on the wicket as I had seen it three days ago, but I would not show much interest in it since I always tried to stay away even when I was representing my country."

Bedi’s beady eye

* The 1976-77 Kotla Test marked the debut of England left-arm pacer John Lever. In this Test, Lever took 10 wickets and England won the match. Lever was wearing a bandage on his head during the match. Each time before running in to bowl, he rubbed the ball with the bandage. When India were all out in their second innings, he threw away the bandage but Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi found it. Later he came to know that a Vaseline-like substance had been applied on the bandage, helping Lever to swing the ball. When Bedi reported this to the authorities, it blew up into a controversy.

* In the same Test, Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar became the first Indian to aggregate 1000 runs a calendar year. Gavaskar scored his 29th Test century to equal Don Bradman's record.

* When India lost the second Test at Kotla in the 1984-85 series against England, Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev were dropped for irresponsible batting. Had Kapil not been dropped, he may very well have become the first cricketer ever to play 100 consecutive Tests since debut.

* Rahul Dravid scored his maiden double-century at Kotla (200 n.o. against Zimbabwe).

* During the 1981-82 series, Geoff Boycott became the highest run-scorer, overtaking Gary Sobers's tally of 8032 runs in 93 Tests. During this Test, when Boycott presented his autobiography to the late PM Mrs Indira Gandhi, she said thanks for the book but not thanks for the trouble you caused. (Boycott was a regular visitor to SA — as were a few other England players. Because of apartheid policies, this did not sit too well with the Indian authorities and, for a while, the tour was in jeopardy).

* Vengsarkar and Tendulkar started their captaincy stints here.