Touchdown

Captain AK Malhotra, piloting the Indian Airlines Airbus A320 from Delhi to Lahore, chose his words carefully. Whoever wrote his speech for him sprinkled it liberally with the words "historic", "special" and "proud". His voice crackled over the speakers like that of an old politician as he welcomed the 20-strong Indian team, officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and "other delegates" onto the aircraft. From the outset, it was clear that the only way was up for the hype that surrounds this tour.

For most, the journey began well before they reached the Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi. The team had its hands full; they first addressed a press conference at the Taj Mansingh hotel where they mouthed the necessary platitudes, before being whisked away to a meeting with Atal Behari Vajpayee, the prime minister. The team presented Vajpayee with a cricket bat, and in return he showed that the poet in him was not lost in the quagmire of politics. "It's important to win cricket matches, but equally important to win hearts," said the prime minister. Or words to that effect, at any rate.

For some of the media, winning hearts and cricket matches were way down the agenda - several members of the press corps did not have their visas even as late as the morning of the historic flight. A mad melee at the Pakistan High Commission ensued, and passports changed hands as late as 11am with tickets booked on the 1pm flight. To be fair, the staff at the High Commission have been stretched to such an extent that it's a miracle that anything happened on time. They are used to receiving 20-30 applications for visas on any given day, and were now sorting them in the hundreds. Each staff member was doing the work of five. Kamran Ali Khan, the minister responsible for such matters, was himself receiving and delivering passports at the gates. He would have hardly anticipated work of this kind when got his high-profile posting in India.

But, for the players there were no such hitches. They arrived at the airport fashionably late, all things taken care of, in their official ties and blazers. They were given a rousing reception as a wave of applause spontaneously broke out to announce their arrival at Terminal II. From then on, all hassles, hitches and delays were forgotten. The Indian tour of Pakistan, amid all the brouhaha of security concerns and diplomatic to-ing and fro-ing, was finally on. Flight IC 1845, specially chartered for the occasion, was bound for Lahore.

The Indian team settled comfortably into the front of the aircraft, exactly filling the 20 executive-class seats on offer. Indian Airlines' handling of arrangements set the tone for a relaxed, comfortable flight. They augmented their usual selection of juices with chilled cans of beer, a gesture much appreciated by those worried about a long, dry spell in Pakistan. The team was presented with a card wishing them the best, while the in-flight meal included a tricolour dessert that mirrored the Indian flag - just two details that told you there was something special going down.

Almost as soon as the aircraft was airborne, and lunch had been served, Captain Malhotra was at the microphone again. "We are beginning our descent to Lahore," he said, prompting Mohammad Kaif, who was having a quiet word with journalists, to dash back towards his seat. Almost as soon as it began, almost before one could absorb the weight of the occasion, it was all over. There would be plenty of time for that in the days to come. Vijay Bhava came the voice over the speakers, one last time, exhorting the Indian team to return victorious. The plane kissed the tarmac at the Allama Iqbal airport, and the India-Pakistan show was well and truly on the road.