India vs South Africa: From Big Five's den

Mission accomplished
So, Dr Ali Bacher has finally interviewed Sunil Gavaskar. The interaction took place at the famous Long Room of the Wanderers on Tuesday. “I asked him some tough ones, guys,” joked the former South Africa skipper of the 1960s, who later dabbled in cricket administration. “He was slow to begin with, but warmed up nicely after the ‘drinks break’,” Bacher added. Gavaskar could only smile. “I asked him about the 36 not out in the 1975 World Cup and the walkout at the MCG in 1981. He told me the whole story,” Bacher said gleefully. The 71-year-old also asked the Indian batting legend about his powers of concentration. “Oh yes, we spoke about the glucose-biscuit-on-a-saucer trick,” Bacher informed. Just then, Gavaskar chipped in, “Arre yaar, I have talked about it on air so many times, but these Parle-G guys never offered me an endorsement deal. They went to Aamir Khan instead. I had to be content with a few packets of biscuits!”

Kirsten checks in
Gary Kirsten, the South African team’s batting consultant, played an active role at the team’s training session at the Wanderers on Tuesday. Armed with a tennis racquet, he fed quite a few batsmen with ‘serves’. The genial batting guru prefers not to go on overseas tours. Russell Domingo is now the team’s big boss. But Kirsten is, quite clearly, the most sought-after man in the coaching set-up.

Petersen’s car-nama
South Africa’s Alviro Petersen drives a sleek white Mercedes. The words ‘ALVIRO PETERSEN’, ‘BRAND AMBASSADOR’ and ‘TEMPEST CAR HIRE’ are painted on his sedan. It’s not a big deal. Why, for the transport company he endorses is owned by his father! In fact, most Indian journalists who have visited Port Elizabeth have been driven around by Petersen Sr.