November 26, 2001

Hyderabad blues

- Jonathan Dyson

As the England squad continue to prepare for the forthcoming Test series, England's fans have also begun to merge together in readiness for December 3. And while the shape of the England side likely to start the first Test is still anyone's guess, the nature of the group to be following England in India has started to emerge.

I met five fellow-England fans at the game against the Board President's XI in Hyderabad, and we soon bonded together and settled down to watch all three days at the Lal Bahadur sadium. I could not have been with a more friendly and open-minded bunch of people.

Firstly, there was the famous Barmy Army character nick-named Bagpuss, so called because she goes everywhere carrying a bag that is also a doll of the English children's television character Bagpuss. She is a vet by trade. Then there are two lads who have already travelled extensively through India and also love their cricket. And alongside these three, two graduates (including myself) who coincidentally both write about cricket in their spare time, and finally a prison warden.

Cricket in India is renowned for unifying what is an extraordinarily diverse nation, with different languages, customs and cultures all being bound together with a singular purpose when India are battling it out in a Test match.

I have already sensed the same spirit in the group in Hyderabad. Despite our immensely varied backgrounds, we have all struck a chord immediately, and of course the one reason is our mutual love for the world's one truly classless sport. The only disagreements we have had are whether Vaughan should play in the Tests, whether Ormond is better than Johnson, and so on.

And any fears authorities may have regarding the nature of the Barmy Army members in India should be annulled soon. Obviously, more and more fans will come out during the Tests, but if the present group is anything to go by, we will not only be treating Indians with patience and an open-mind, but actively making sure we enjoy Indian culture.

Instead of bemoaning the occasional confusion over orders in restaurants, the over-the-top ground security and the hot weather, we have all decided to take a step back, accept the fact that we are in a country radically different from our own, and simply see the funny side of it all.

For instance, when we returned after lunch on the last day of the Hyderabad game to find our seats occupied by a group of sleepy, under-employed security guards watching the cricket, instead of feeling hard done by, we simply laughed, and indeed one lad jokingly asked the guards: "Have you all got tickets for this area?"

We have also found much humour in the fact that in Hyderabad the common way to acknowledge someone is to shake your head (in England, this means 'no'!). And we have decided that the way Indian food affects us all in different ways is actually quite comical as much as anything else.

With it being my first tour, all this is of course new to me. As a consequence, at the moment I feel like I am back at university, nervously making my first steps in the cricket team, learning the ropes, the in-jokes and listening to stories from the older members. Three of the six in Hyderabad were in Pakistan last winter, while others have been to previous Ashes series, the 1996 World Cup and even international matches not involving England.

And despite England's poor showing in Hyderabad, this game showed me more than anything just how much pure, unadulterated fun can be had when following your team abroad. On the second day, having noticed how often Craig White fiddles with his collar, we started to cheer every time he did so, and with him fielding close to us, he soon realised what was happening and eventually gave us a comically resigned wave.

Similarly, when Richard Johnson jumped in the drinks trolley and started to drive it round the ground, we found ourselves in hysterics. Bearing in mind the way our bowlers were struggling, I suggested that he should perhaps try a wheel spin on a good length just outside off stump.

I have also realised how interaction with the home fans provides great amusement. In fact, much to my surprise I was occasionally asked for my autograph in Hyderabad. Whether they were confused by my replica England shirt and Slazenger sunhat, or just really had heard about my majestic spell of three for 22 in the York and District Senior League Third Division two years ago, I am not sure.

One fan was particularly touching. He handed me a beautifully framed tribute to Nasser Hussain, featuring a picture of the England captain alongside a lengthy, heartfelt statement of admiration. I made sure it reached the England dressing room the following morning.

One member of the current Barmy Army group is 28, and has spent much of his twenties travelling all around the world, and enjoying a huge variety of experiences. Yet he told me on Thursday night that undoubtedly the most fun and the most rewarding experiences he has found on his travels have come when following England abroad.

I am starting to see why. Other travellers wake up each day with different people wanting to do different things. Some will want to sightsee, some will want to sit in a bar, and some will want to stay in bed. But when following a cricket team abroad, there are no second thoughts. The only worry when you awake each morning is whether your team will find that crucial early breakthrough or get through the first session unscathed.

I can see already that this unity of thought, and the subsequent collective experience of highs and lows, bind a group of cricket supporters together more than any other kind of traveller. The only down side is that the whole thing is irresistibly, dangerously addictive.

GE Features

Earlier Diaries:
- A Backpacker's Diary
- Bowled over by the great Bedi
- Agonising uncertainty!
- India, not Lord's, is the mecca of cricket

Mail Jonathan Dyson

Illustration: Bijoy Venugopal