HYDERABAD Notebook
⬣ ONE english journalist has particular reason to be happy in hyderabad. On arriving at the hotel which is not only hosting most of the english media for the first Test but also the India team, he was told there was only one room left. But it was far from bad news for our man — he ended up being upgraded at no extra charge to the premier suite, abruptly vacated by its previous occupant — Virat Kohli.
RAHUL IS THRIVING AS A MIDDLE MAN
SOMEBODY else profiting from Kohli’s absence was KL Rahul, who inherited the ex-India captain’s regular position of No 4 for the first time in his Test career. Rahul’s average as an opener stood at 34.95 when he was dropped last year, but he has successfully re-emerged in the middle order, striking 101 from No 6 in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa last month, and hitting 86 from 123 balls yesterday.
⬣ ONE reason why england chose Mark Wood as sole seamer was his ability to rush opponents with short-pitched bowling, but his impact was negated by the soporific hyderabad surface. Wood was invited to unleash a barrage at the sixth-wicket pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Srikar Bharat. The futility of the experiment, however, was evident when one delivery left his hand at 91mph but passed the bat at 70mph due to friction created by contact with the pitch.
⬣ DINESH Karthik has taken his place in the TV commentary box fresh from a stint as a batting consultant with england Lions. Karthik, 38, still captains Tamil nadu but has combined on-field commitments with punditry work plus coaching. his involvement with the Lions, before batting coach Ian Bell arrived, is the latest example of the ECB tapping into the local knowledge of highprofile cricketers overseas. Mike hussey was drafted in for the T20 World Cupwinning campaign in 2022, and Kieron Pollard will be in the team for the defence of that title in the Caribbean in June.
⬣ TOM HARTLEY still had crossword book in hand on the boundary edge moments before play resumed after lunch. Although not obvious which particular clue he was pondering, what was clear was that the entire England team were having trouble getting 10 down.