Having bought my ticket for Somerset vs Indians six months ago in eager anticipation, the weather forecast had dampened my mood somewhat this week. However, once the showers stopped by 2pm and the outfield dried in the long-awaited sunshine, Taunton sparkled and all was well with the world. It's 25 years since India last played at the ground and I'd never seen them play in the flesh anywhere. Of course, there was the added attraction of a world record holder, but more of Arul Suppiah later...!
Somerset had closed on 329-2 overnight and, after a circumspect start and the departure of Suppiah for a career-best 156, the scoring rate picked up. Young Chris Jones struck some lovely shots off Zaheer Khan and the hapless Yuvraj Singh, while James Hildreth dispatched one Mishra delivery way over the long-on boundary and into the staff car park. They declared on 425-3 once Jones made his half-century.
After the ten-minute break, skipper Gautam Gambhir looked like a man on a mission, after several months away from first-class cricket. He took Charl Willoughby apart in the first over but the veteran South African got his revenge in the fifth, inducing an edge to Joss Buttler who took a good catch. Fellow opener Mukund looked furious at being adjudged lbw with the score on 51, but that brought in the unmistakeable figure of Sachin Tendulkar. So for about six overs we all had the pleasure of watching the Little Master partnering Rahul Dravid, before the latter fell to an airy shot, prompting a frustrated swish of the bat before the long trudge back to the dressing room. Sachin played some crisp shots before becoming Craig Meschede's maiden first class victim. That's one to tell the grandchildren!
Wickets continued to tumble, and Yuvraj Singh, all smiles on arriving at the ground, followed his humiliation with the ball with a five-ball duck. Thomas and Trego weighed in with a wicket apiece from the River End, but it was Willoughby who starred. He ended the day at about 7.15 with 5-50, and India were wilting on 138-8, only Suresh Raina holding the innings together. The follow-on looks odds-on, although rain could guarantee the draw tomorrow. Andrew Strauss, an incongruous figure at first slip in a Somerset sweater, may have had his last batting practice before Lord's.
As for the fan's experience, putting the rain delay aside, it was an entertaining afternoon. Sitting in the sun-kissed Family Stand with some keen Indian supporters was great. There were frequent rumbles and dashes down to the stand near the players' entrance, mini-bats waving for autographs and cameras flashing ("over here, MS, MS, over here, here"...) but that was just the Dads! The kids were far more relaxed about it. It was also heartening to see top professionals willing to spend time signing programmes and bats, even nudging aside security staff to do so. For attention to their fans, special mention should go to Dhoni and Sreesanth. Willoughby also must have written his name dozens of times while fielding on the boundary. It wasn't the beery atmosphere of a T20 and maybe the crowds were reduced by the loss of the morning's play, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I for one will never forget the day when I finally got to watch Tendulkar and co in action.
