Sleepy Indians dream big

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It was surprising to see the Indians fighting sleep and staying away from their rooms all evening despite a 26-hour long flight and an equally tiring 90-minute drive from the airport. Speaking to a few cricketers with half open eyes, it becomes clear that in an effort to get the body clock right, the team management has asked them to hit the bed only after it's dark. More... Sleepy Indians dream big Yahoonews, Indian Express, 30 April 2010 It was surprising to see the Indians fighting sleep and staying away from their rooms all evening despite a 26-hour long flight and an equally tiring 90-minute drive from the airport. Speaking to a few cricketers with half open eyes, it becomes clear that in an effort to get the body clock right, the team management has asked them to hit the bed only after it's dark. Not just that, keeping in mind the match timings - the India-Afghanistan game starts at 9.30 am local time - an 'early to bed and early to rise' routine is being advocated. With the IPL schedule being diagonally opposite, the Indians are hoping they adjust to the local conditions soon. Players joke about how the first rays of sunlight don't quite charge them up like the floodlights but with minnows Afghanistan as their first opponents, they hope things will fall in place before the big games. Skipper MS Dhoni admits he doesn't know anything about the opponents. Team India's computer analyst is busy unearthing footage of the unknown Afghans but Dhoni isn't too disturbed by the fact that there is limited data. "I don't know much about them. It's good in a way, because if we know too much about a side, you are distracted. Our mental preparation will remain the same as if we are playing the best team in world cricket. We can't relax. Whoever you are playing, at the end of the day you are representing India and you have to be at your best," he says. After the Afghanistan game, India play South Africa the next day. India, along with England and Zimbabwe, are the only three teams in the competition to play back-to-back games. But the Indian skipper isn't the complaining kind and he doesn't criticise the scheduling. "Rather than thinking too much about the past or the future, it is very important to be in the present. We have a couple of days before we play the first game. It is important to get the most out of it. We have to adapt to the conditions here," says Dhoni. India, incidentally, are the only team in the competition to decline playing any practice games. Instead, Dhoni opted to have a rigorous net session to "get into the groove". The other problem that India might face in the opening game concerns the visibility of the white ball in bright sunlight under blue skies. And that's why the net sessions will be important for Dhoni and his men. "Every delivery you bowl or run you score can have a great impact on the game. So we are thinking about what needs to be done, about the areas that we need to work. This is a big stage and all the world's best teams would have studied about their opponents," he says. ICC WT20 snippets: Pakistan go the aerial way The small, dilapidated Mondoo Philip park is some distance from the ICC World Twenty20 venue. Pakistan spent Thursday afternoon practicing here, and put the traffic around on hold. It wasn't because there were too many spectators interested in watching the defending champions practice - but with white kookaburras flying all around while the likes of Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal hit sixes, it was difficult for the vehicles to pass by. Pakistan got their placement right though, managing to end without any damage. Meanwhile, the man most in demand was coach Waqar Younis, sporting a salt and pepper beard. Food for some thought Team India got together, and decided to stay away from serious cricket talk. Gary Kirsten and his boys went out for dinner in a team bonding session on Wednesday night, where they shared their funny moments from the IPL and had a good laugh. MS is a 'Mango Man' Team India skipper MS Dhoni has spoken about his fascination for mountains and the vibrant culture of the Caribbean. But his real love here are mangoes. Dhoni dug into one on arrival and even recommended the preferred varieties. The team, on its part, was happy to follow the skipper.

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MS is a 'Mango Man'

more reason for him to love Sachin