While Sachin was putting a razor to his cheek, Ajit Agarkar, Nikhil Chopra, and Vijay Bharadwaj were sweating it out in the fitness centre. Only Agarkar and Chopra weren't pumping iron, just getting a haircut, a shampoo and a pumped-up champi. ``We are so tired we probably can't even make it to any disco in town,'' laughed Agarkar.

Sunil Joshi was a much-harried man as the team's luggage landed late, and he was left without any ironed clothes to wear. ``Kyaa yaar, this is not done, I've been waiting for an hour for my luggage to be sent up,'' he cribbed while wheeling his suitcase to the elevator, prompting the hotel staff to send out an SOS to the laundry section. Sachin, however, was all sweetness in his suite, signing autographs for a couple ofkids who were so overawed they could barely say `Hi'. The Kiwis left much earlier, trooping out soon after checking in, in identical green checked shirts and grey trousers.
(Tanmaya Nanda & Sunetra Choudhury)Generation next!
When Vinit Gupte and Surender Sharma walk up to the middle to take charge of the proceedings tomorrow, a new record will be created. They will be the first officials of the second generation to stand as umpires in the same match. Both Gupte and Sharma are sons of former international umpires MY Gupte of Mumbai and the late Har Prasad Sharma of Delhi.

As a debutant, Har Prasad Sharma had the distinction of raising his finger on the very first delivery to adjudge SS Naik out, caught behind off Bernard Julien in the Test against the West Indies in 1974. He officiated in three Tests.

My Gupte officiated in the Madras Test where Mohd Azharuddin scored the second of his three consecutive hundreds on debut against England in 1984-85. Vinit and Surender, both from Mumbai,have already officiated in a few one-dayers, but separately.
(S Santhanam)