Dhoni salwar kameez bowls Sydney over

 These ladies from Manchester, supporters of the Indian team, are part of a family group that has been trailing the Indian team from the start of the tournament. They’ve got some unusual clothing, which they got made in Ahmedabad. “We have been wearing different clothes, all custom-made, to the different matches we’ve gone to,” says Sushma Patel, one of the ladies. “We have a family-run business in Manchester, and my son is looking after it while the rest of us are away!”

An unidentified young man has been seen with the Indian team in the nets — he’s not part of the support staff, and he’s not a masseur for sure. No one is quite sure about who he is, but he wears the official India clothing and was seen in the dressing room as well. It later emerges that it’s none other than the son of Arshad Ayub. The guest in the Australian nets yesterday was Shane Warne — India’s guest was of a rather less ability. Warne got to work with the Australian team because he’s a legend, a great bowler who could contribute something to the team. India’s guest was a youngster who got there because of the good old Indian trick — having the right sort of parent.

Ed’s dad

Soon after the gates to the ground were opened, the outside perimeter of the stadium was filled with the colour blue. Though eventually, the crowd was about 60-40 percent in favour of Indian supporters, in the initial part it was a sea of blue, green, saffron, and white. The Australians in the crowd are few and far between. We stopped one elderly man for a chat. He turned out to be Richard Cowan, father of Ed Cowan, the former Australian batsman. Cowan is a traditionalist and happier watching Test matches rather than One-day cricket. But today’s special — he’s happy with the presence of the multicultural crown. “The atmosphere is fantastic,” he says. “I wish we’d see a good contest, though I’d be very happy if Australia won.” It wasn’t a good contest, sadly, but he got his second wish all right.