Karachi Diary

For nearly a day after we landed in Pakistan's biggest city on Thursday, thefact that security would be stepped up for Team India did not become apparent.The cricketers landed late afternoon, their flight from Faisalabad being delayedby more than three hours. Since the team was taking a two-day break fromcricket, Friday was the first time we were due to meet up with the cricketers inKarachi.

For the first time on the tour, security changed from being less obtrusive tovery prominent. They are not taking any chances here. In Faisalabad, we couldwalk in to Serena, the team hotel, without having to send our bags through theX-ray machines. Not at the Karachi Sheraton. In fact, the Sheraton was chosenahead of the Pearl Continental, where the Pakistan team is lodged, because ithas fewer entry and exit points. And now, it is a veritable fortress, policeposts dotting the approach and security personnel making no attempt to be lowprofile.

We would not have ventured to the team hotel had we not been invited forlunch at the Arabian Sea Country Club where former Pakistan Cricket Board CEOArif Ali Abbasi is executive secretary. We were to be offered a coach ride fromthe team hotel and hence got a chance to witness the security net thrown aroundit.

The 75-minute drive to the Arabian Sea Country Club was quite a test of one'spatience. The early portion of the distance was covered quite smoothly as wedrove through some cantonment areas but once we went left the exit to the JinnahAirport, it got a little crowded. The pilot vehicle, an armed Rangers jeep,could do little to clear the clogged traffic and settled down to a comfortablepace as we mostly crawled and sometimes swept past a variety of vehicles –from the colourfully decorated city buses to the yellow cabs, from bicycles toauto-rickshaws, from large trucks to oil tankers.

The arid countryside did not make the task of looking outside the windows ofour coach a joyful task and we busied ourselves by talking of the pitch at theNational Stadium where the third Test would be played from Sunday, thepossibility of India reverting to six batsmen-four bowlers for the decisive Testas well as the possibility of most cricketers skipping the day's outing at theelite club.

In the end only three cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly andAnil Kumble -- turned up at the club. Of course, Tendulkar and Ganguly camealong with their respective wives and children. Their entrance was signal forthe hordes of TV cameramen and photographers to try and catch a few shots beforethe club staff came in to request the players and their families to be leftalone on their table.

For some reason, the presence of the media contingent in nearly full strengthappeared to have been a bit of a dampener for coach Greg Chappell. But he didnot make a fuss of having to join Tendulkar and Ganguly in giving away mementosto former Pakistan captain Hanif Mohammed, his brother Mushtaq Mohammed andZaheer Abbas.

Kumble, armed with his camera and a variety of lens and filers, was a taddisappointed at not being able to venture out on the course until well afterlunch. He had heard that the course drew some migratory birds and wanted tocapture them on camera. But he joined Chappell and bio-mechanist Ian Fraser inchoosing some clubs to go on a round of the course. Of course, Chappell politelywaved the waiting cameramen off and the trio set off.

As we embarked on our return journey to the city, my colleagues SS Ramaswamy,Rahul Banerji and I talked of the times when some of our predecessors in theprofession could sit down with players and have a drink after a day's play,discussing the intricacies of cricket – and perhaps life itself. Those werelaidback days, indeed. It must be said that the media contingent used to berather small, only a handful venturing on overseas tours.

Now, the cricketers are most professional, spending time in the gym orresting rather than chatting up with too many journalists. Besides, there hasbeen an upsurge in the number of mediapersons on tour, thanks to the explosionof electronic media. The days when the cricketers and the media would have adrink together have clearly been consigned to history. Of course, it is possiblethat some of us can have a sit down and have a meal with some players but eventhat is a rarity. It is something that we have had no option but to accept.