The Tests are here

The first thing Daniel Vettori did upon arriving at Seddon Park, two days before the first Test, was to have a look at the pitch. He inspected it for a good five to ten minutes and then chatted with the curator Karl Johnson. The Indian batsmen did some shadow practice at the pitch before fielding practice and a net session.

That, if people didn't know already, was a clear indication that the Tests are about to begin for until now on the tour, no one has bothered to look at the pitch even a day before the match.

In Wellington, the teams made their first visits to the venue two hours before the toss. Things have changed, the pitch is being talked about, long-term weather forecasts are being sought, and the anticipation is kicking in. Pyjamas to flannels is a bit of cliché - given the innovative whites teams wear nowadays - but the Test match mood has kicked in.

The anticipation for the Tests showed not only in the interest around the pitch - which looks deliciously green now with the grass yet to be shaved off - but also in the increased intensity of the training sessions. Both teams spent about three hours each at Seddon Park and there seemed more purpose to the way they went about their business in the nets.

So far batsmen played to imaginary one-day fields and looked to hit big, innovate, and played shots that would get them singles, while the bowlers tried to contain them. The Test intensity today was summed up by one exchange. Sachin Tendulkar padded up first for India, to face Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji and a few local net bowlers.

After facing two balls from Ishant, Tendulkar went up to the bowler and asked, "Are you trying to get it to move in?" The first two deliveries hadn't actually moved in. Ishant replied in the affirmative and Tendulkar went on to tell him he was making it too obvious. "It seems you are trying too hard to move it in," Tendulkar said, and went on to show him the release that was required - not a big jerk of the wrist, but a smooth push just before letting the ball go. "You might over-pitch for a while, but keep trying it. First get the release right, the rest will come automatically."

Ishant over-pitched for a while, slowly getting the inward movement going until he beat Tendulkar with one that nipped in sharply. "Ye achcha tha [This one was better]," came the acknowledgment. The exchange was as much as an acknowledgment of how well Tendulkar knows the game (he could see, while trying to focus on his batting, what was wrong with the bowler's wrist at the time of release) as also the fact that containment was not the key here. Ishant was ready to bowl loose deliveries just to get back his No. 1 delivery.

The next batsman in the same net was Virender Sehwag. The first ball he faced from Ishant jagged back in, got the inside edge, hit the thigh and took the leg stump. It's good that the Tests are around.