Pump up the tempo

Every direct hit is followed by a resounding "Shabaash"; every miss is met with an angry outburst. By the end of it, the players are bushwhacked.

It's the eve of the first Indian Cricket League game and the Hyderabad Heroes are practising their fielding. Things aren't too different across the field.

Daryll Cullinan is training the Tigers, Michael Bevan is whipping the Superstars into shape, and Jock Campbell is taking no excuses from Lions.

The ICL might not change the way cricket is run in India. But it could well transform the way domestic-teams deal with fitness and fielding.

It's not all due to the ICL, of course. Young Indian players are first to acknowledge that. "The quality of grounds has generally improved and the outfields are not as hard," says Monish Mishra, with the Jets.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, December 4, 2007

About Siddhartha Vaidyanathan: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan still wonders how he got through four years of mechanical engineering in college, where his main achievement was to organise tennis-ball cricket tournaments. His contribution to the 'Whiteboard' section in Wisden Asia Cricket, led to a job in 2003.