The All Stars cricket match between an Indian XI and a Sri Lankan XI, was clearly an "unofficial" match going by the performance of the "official" telecasters, Doordarshan. While the match itself, given the heat and humidity, was not the most enlivening, DD's antics kept the assembled company amused. First, the match had an unscheduled break as the DD crew was unprepared. Therefore it was decided to have lunch brought up. Unfortunately, no one had informed the cooks and lunch was not yet ready. Then of course, there were a couple of other strange breaks -- on some premise or the other, perhaps for the news, perhaps for other reasons. As this was all unofficial, and the organsiers had to have their spot in the sun (or on the idiot box), the players would get called off the field when DD was unable to telecast the match. So if one was watching at home, and the news came up suddenly, you didn't really have to worry. The game would go on post news-session. Soon enough, thesparse enthusiasts watching the proceedings at the Karnail Singh stadium, began commenting that soon, things could be like clockwork. DD wants a break. Stop match. Players off. Break over. Back on the field. yet everyone was happy. The players had their money, and did as told. DD had their programme at their own pace and the sponsors got their faces on TV.

Nervous energy

The nervous energy which Krishnamachari Srikkanth exuded in his prime while batting at the crease is still part of this dashing batsman's demenour. The unorthodox striker of the ball -- and considered by many as the original pinch-hitter -- is the coach of the Indian A team but is widely tipped to replace Anshuman Gaekwad as the coach of the senior side. It is a role which may not seem to fit the image of the man -- happy-go-lucky with a devil-may-care attitude. But the image may not necessary define the real man and Srikkanth is believed to be a `real' thinker of the game and a fine motivator as well. Well, all this could be truebut the image, many say, is the real man and the first impression of those who saw him at the brief camp held in New Delhi for the Indian A side prior to its departure for Los Angles, was one of a man brimming with humour as well as his trademark `nervous energy'. If while batting he would amble away from the crease for no reason at all and make himself a victim of amusing run outs, at the camp he would shake hands with even those at the ground who were nothing more than curious watchers.

A real 'un, this guy

He stands over six feet, turban and all, with a voice that goes perfectly with his physique. Deep and firm -- just the type one would want to hear on the celluloid screen. He could have easily walked into Bollywood unchallenged and might have given Kabir Bedi a run for his money at that. However, Hari Singh prefers the dirty tracks of cross-country rally to slick studios of make-belief. Hari Singh, the top name in the country's rally circuit, has finally started making money for himself. Tilla couple of years ago, all the winning cheques would go back into preparing his car for the next rally. Not any longer. With more money being pumped into motorsports, Hari Singh ends up with a neat purse for himself. ``I am also test driving for a few motor companies and auto magazines,'' he adds. Of course, he has another source of income -- posing in Maruti advertisements.

No coaches, please!

The August issue of the All India Tennis Association newsletter had an interesting piece of revelation from Krishna Bhupathi, father of Mahesh. He says he never let any coaches go anywhere near his son. He only asked them to work on Mahesh's movement on court. The rationale behind Bhupathi Senior's rather poor opinion of coaches is that they (coaches) tend to confuse players. Well, if that is the case where does his son's present coach Enrico Piperno stand? While there is raging debate on Piperno's actual role vis-a-vis Mahesh, Bhupathi Senior's candid statement couldn't have put things in a betterperspective. But then, Piperno has been nominated for the Dronacharya award for making Bhupathi the best doubles player. Will there be another nomination for what has been unmade? Peter's principle, did they say?

Mumbai calling

Bhupathi Junior seems to be fascinated with Mumbai city. When he is not playing on the Tour, he makes it a point to spend lots of time in the city. Earlier, Mahesh's fascination was with Delhi but that seems to have faded with time. Now, Mahesh is all over Mumbai attending fashion shows, appearing in celebrity shows, playing rugby. When he was recuperating from his abdominal injury after Wimbledon, he was one of the celebrities in a fshion magazine's annual show giving away awards. The fact is that these things happen all over the country, but Mahesh's fascination with Mumbai seems to be growing. New doubles pairing or what?