E-Paper
Pre-match rituals are all similar
Coaches can be imported or local but they teach from the same manual which works as per a Common Minimum Programme, writes Amrit Mathur.
The fans trickled in holding tickets and umbrellas, the latter more important because threatening clouds covered the Oval. But unmindful of this, both teams went about with their preparations, diligently following a pre-match routine that is such an integral part of modern cricket.
On one side of the field, the English squad stretched and pulled its muscles into place. After this a gentle game of rugby, then soccer (the Indians prefer to play volleyball) and finally a longish fielding session with emphasis on players hitting the stumps from short range. The West Indies did pretty much the same thing in another corner of the outfield. The pre-match routine is elaborate, and exhausting, and all teams use similar methods. The coach, physio and trainer can be imported or local but they teach from the same manual - international cricket is played according to a Common Minimum Programme.
For England the final was significant but among Indians in London the disinterest was only too visible. With India back home, and Australia already practising in Mumbai, this was no better than a flop side show. Cricket, for us, is India related and Sachin is the centre of a universe around which everything revolves.
