This had a bit of everything that makes up a successful Bollywood movie. Plenty of thumping music, a clutch of superstars, even some ageing ones, lots of bang-bang, whacking sounds (only it was a ball, not a villain being slammed around), skimpily clad girls with impossibly toned bodies enthusiastically gyrating to the music, even some rain sequences — in short, oomph, lots of masala and a cheering, happy crowd watching it all.
Only, it wasn't a movie, it was a cricket match and India's first Twenty20 international. The skies, which were gloomy right through the day, decided to allow us to have a game and it was quite a fun experience.
Definitely for the spectators, who were dancing in the stands while guzzling beer, clapping and singing along but more, probably, for television viewers, who got to see the girls up close and stuff like the short, chatty interviews with players while the game was on but it was fun all the same!
Still, it wasn't quite the cricket we know and will take some getting used to, as much for those of who hadn't watched an international Twenty20 game before as the Indian players, who played it with a seriousness that didn't quite go with the occasion.
Still, the South Africans made it somewhat theatrical — Herschelle Gibbs laughing as he departed, Graeme Smith sticking out his tongue as he walked off, Justin Kemp cursing and kicking the field and everything else, Johan van der Wath making it to the crease just in time to not be timed out and Robin Petersen forgetting to get back into the crease to be run out.
{{/usCountry}}Still, the South Africans made it somewhat theatrical — Herschelle Gibbs laughing as he departed, Graeme Smith sticking out his tongue as he walked off, Justin Kemp cursing and kicking the field and everything else, Johan van der Wath making it to the crease just in time to not be timed out and Robin Petersen forgetting to get back into the crease to be run out.
{{/usCountry}}The highlight of their innings was Albie Morkel (the man who tormented India in Benoni) hitting Harbhajan over midwicket and out of the stadium.
But in the end, India would be quite happy about restricting the Proteas to 126 and scalping nine wickets, not a massive target by Twenty20 standards but not that easy on a wicket that is seaming.
Incidentally, the South African players had laughingly remarked while sitting around waiting for the rain to go away during that first abandoned game here at the Wanderers, that playing here would have been like playing away, given the sheer number of Indian flag-waving fanatics present.
It wasn't quite so bad but it was quite something to hear Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega from the stands. With any luck, the support, the carnival atmosphere and the lack of pressure will have India relax a bit and come out and finally have some fun.