HyderaBAD - 2nd Test In India

There were doubts that the Second Test in India for the Australians would go ahead, after the news of 2 bombings in the city of Hyderabad during the week before, when we were in Chennai. Talk that the match may be moved to another city was around, and word that security would be amped up for the team, circulated.

All this talk seemed to disappear, and we all made our way to the city as planned. Checking into the 5-star Waving The Flag base for the week, we were all delighted with the non-Flagger-like upgrades and flowing beers. Luke did very well with this one!

Getting to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Day 1, we all took a tour bus, unsure of what traffic and the effects of the week before in the city would be like. We anticipated heightened security due to the bombs - but certainly not the inane measures that we actually encountered!

Getting through security was ridiculous! The physical search involved a pat-down for everyone. And then the battle to carry anything in with us began. Sunscreen was confiscated. Toilet paper and newspapers were banned. A fight erupted to bring in a bag. Camera and mobile phones, definitely not allowed. Although these rules were different depending on the day, and the security officer you encountered.

We were also stunned at the state of the stadium, and experienced rubble and concrete dust for the whole three and a bit days of play. Hardly International standards! If the thinking was that a tube of sunscreen was a potential weapon, they really should have removed the concrete lumps readily available at the back of the main stand.

Once play commenced the Australians chose to bat first up, and whilst there was a top order crumble, Captain Clarke showed his every reliable class, and peeled out a solid half century. Watching he and Wade fill the middle session was some of the cricket highlights for our tour, before Wade was dismissed for 62, and Clarke ran out of partners, falling at 91.

Declaring the first innings before the close of play to enable our bowlers to make use of the time and their efforts, was all good in our book.

The next 2 days we watched as India's top quality batsmen piled on the runs - Day 2 saw solid scores by Vijay and Pujara, who were only just getting started. Day 3 saw more of the same, being some long, hot days in the stands as Aussie fans.

We felt for Vijay as he left the field after posting an impressive 167 - as the crowd forgot all about his efforts because Sachin was coming to the crease!

Pujara managed a double century, with the only glimmer of joy for the Aussies a 4-for from debutante Maxwell.

Day 4 is one I would rather forget as an Aussie fan. We arrived in the morning expecting a day of runs - but it was an incredible day of wickets falling, and we were all back at the hotel, pool side, for Lunch. A whopping innings and 135 runs defeat. Ouch.