Tim Abraham's India blog: England cakes in Rajkot to cricket-mad Mumbai
Friday 11 November 2016 11:13, UK
SSNHQ's cricket correspondent Tim Abraham helps document the beginnings of England's five-Test tour of India...
Part two of England's long winter on the sub-continent is under way.
India has a completely different feel to Bangladesh in every way. It's more relaxed and laid back, which is saying something for India as it still has such hustle and bustle, and chaotic qualities.
We're in Rajkot, in the state of Gujarat for the first Test. This is the city where Mahatma Gandhi went to school, and it's a "dry" state, meaning no alcohol.
It's a new city for me, and new Test venue for India, let alone England, though one-day internationals have been played at the impressive Saurashtra Stadium.
It's another state of the art modern cricket facility in India, on the outskirts of town, with a feeling of "home" for the England players as the media centre is a mini version of the spaceship-like Lord's media centre.
We are once again staying with the team, and there's no mistaking the hotel are just so delighted England are staying with them.
There's a massive facade on the outer walls, featuring the players, and when you step inside the lobby, pictures of the players adorn the walls, even in the lifts the England players are poster boys.
On top of that, there's a specially designed room service menu "For the England team" and in the main restaurant the players can use their own mugs, with their pictures on.
When Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes got their hundreds in this Test, the hotel specially baked cakes in time their return.
While there is security around the players, as there always is in this part of the world, it all just seems so much more laid back. No road blocks or armed convoys speeding through the streets here like in Bangladesh.
That tour was a big success for the ECB, even though the team lost the final Test in dramatic circumstances.
One of our last jobs in Dhaka, just before we left, was to shoot a security review story with the man who said it would be safe for England to come here, Reg Dickason - a security advisor who has been around the team for years, and a man the players trust.
My travel day to Mumbai did not get off to the best of starts. I was on the team flight (a big mistake!) and upon arrival at the airport, there was team manager Phil Neale checking in all the players' bags and kit.
Row upon row of kit bags and cases that stretched right back through the check-in area. The players don't do it themselves, you know, they just turn up and walk into the plane.
Of course it's a massive job, and Phil took up one check-in desk completely, with only one other desk open for the rest of us.
I had loads of gear myself, as I was taking all of our equipment on with me, and it was touch and go as to whether I would check-in on time.
The first few days in Mumbai were chill-out time for the players, so with this cushion of no interview access, it was a good chance for me and cameraman, Jake Utley, to shoot a colour piece around the city.
England may have been having a few days off but cricket does not stop in this city and we headed straight for the Oval Maidan, where on a long strip of park land, bang in the middle of the city, there are so many games of cricket going on side by side.
Live Test Cricket
It's quite a sight when full. I have shot this scene so many times down the years but you never tire of seeing the passion and the chaotic nature of so many games going on at the same time, with balls so often hit into the playing area of another.
This was a good chance to catch up with the locals and get them to talk about the series and England's chances. The agreed consensus; England were the overwhelming underdogs against the best team in the world, particularly after that defeat in Bangladesh.
But given England's good start to the first Test in Rajkot, a fantastic five-match series appears to lie ahead.
Watch all five Tests between India and England live on Sky Sports 2 and across Sky Sports digital platforms.
