Kumble bounded in for 30 minutes in the nets © AFP

On the other side of the pavilion, Rahul Dravid was first into the nets
against the bowling machine, showing little signs of discomfort ahead of a
match where his presence will be absolutely crucial. At an adjacent net,
Virender Sehwag practised against two local boys and Eduan Roos, who once
represented North West Under-19s and is now senior cricket writer for
Rapport, a Sunday newspaper in Afrikaans. It wasn’t quite adequate
preparation for Makhaya and friends, but after minimal time in the middle
in this game, any bat on ball will probably be beneficial.

The most interesting little practice took place in the tiled corridor
behind the main sightscreen, with Greg Chappell throwing plastic balls at
Wasim Jaffer. Jaffer’s form ahead of the first Test has given the team
management a headache or two, and the manner in which the plastic ball
took off from short of a length was a forerunner of what awaits on a
bouncy pitch against South Africa’s quick bowlers.

Back indoors, Louise Vorster, who played some cricket in her day and is
now media manager and director of the women’s academy, hopes that Sedgars
Park will host another international team soon. It’s a gorgeous ground,
surrounded by trees on all sides, and with grass banks for people to sun
themselves while watching a game. However, the lack of a cricket culture
comparable to the main cities means that international games are likely to
be few and far between.

Being a Sunday, the streets of the town are pretty much deserted. The
Indian restaurant we head to in the afternoon is closed – the woman in
charge is busy preparing a farewell dinner for the Indians – and we end up
at McDonald’s instead. Soon after we take our tables, a man in an India
T-shirt walks up to the counter. We didn’t quite catch what Sourav Ganguly
ordered, but hopefully it was something on the diet sheet.