Nov. 11: They say politics and sports do not mix but that’s only on paper. At least in Hyderabad, where the separate statehood for Telangana sentiment is growing by the day and is making its foray into sporting fields — T protesters disrupting a regional level cricket tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium last year, a joint action committee demanding quota for Telangana players in the various age group teams of the Hyderabad Cricket Association and quite a few anti-HCA protests post the recent Ranji Trophy debacle are only a few incidents. Given the backdrop and amidst rumours that about 100-odd T trouble mongers have already infiltrated, the police are not taking any chances during the second Test. The cops have been asked not to tolerate any Telangana related sloganeering in or around the stadium during the security briefing held adjacent practice wickets on match eve.
The talking is over. Whether the plan will be put into action will only be known over the next five days.
Dark days for HCA
There’s a power struggle at the Hyderabad Cricket Association. No, it’s not got anything to do with officials in boardrooms wanting to go one up over their perceived opponents. This time it’s the electricity, which somehow seems a premium whenever the HCA is gearing up for a match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. On Thursday, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was left in the dark midway through his pre-match press conference as the power went off.
That’s not all, the power men again flexed their muscles by snapping the supply again, and yet again. Pssst… they say this is common during big matches as the HCA authorities do not supply the department concerned with sufficient complimentary passes. Barring the joy of hosting a Test match after 22 years, these are dark days for HCA anyway.
Bowlers bat first
Many would have expected the Indian top-order to come all guns blazing in the morning on Thursday and have a go with the willow. But, what followed caught many by surprise. Out walked Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth with their thigh guards, helmets and other protective wear to make first use of the practice wickets. Not only did they hit the ball with panache, they displayed a sound technique that would have made any regular batsman proud. Soon, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra took centrestage smacking the ball around.
Workhorse Ishant
When Ishant Sharma came to bowl at the nets on Thursday, there were a group of youngsters who had coined a name for the tall pacer. “Ghodaa, ghodaa!” shouted one even as the other two joined in unison. When asked the reason for having a naming for the pacer, one of them said, “Look at his long hair. When he comes steaming to the crease and releases the ball, he looks like a horse albeit with two legs.