Destination India, but thoughts of South Africa Preparing to depart for India, England captain Nasser Hussain acknowledged that the ultimate destination was the 2003 World Cup. He admitted that England's showing in the last two tournaments had not been spectacular, and that he and Duncan Fletcher would have to devise strategies to prepare the team for the challenges. There is a clear route from this tour to the World Cup, because India are in England's qualifying group. Hussain noted that the importance of the matches could not be underplayed. "If we can compete well in this series, and that, as a very young and inexperienced side, is what we are trying to do, and we can get some kind of psychological hold on them. We have already beaten Zimbabwe, and they're in our group. If we can beat India, that will be just as important." Those of the 15 players who make the most of their opportunities in India know that it could be the first step on a journey to the World Cup.

India A surprise seniors under lights at Bangalore The first Challenger Trophy match threw up a result that can only be good for Indian cricket at large, with India 'A' beating the India Seniors team by two wickets. Trying to work his way out of a dreadful patch, Sourav Ganguly failed with the bat, making just 2 before falling to Daniel Manohar. Deep Dasgupta (10) and Virender Sehwag (4) followed their captain back to the pavilion, and India Seniors were in trouble at 64/4. Hemang Badani, however, calmed his nerves and, in the company of Jacob Martin, notched up 41, taking his side to 126/5 before falling to Sarandeep Singh. A flurry of wickets boded ill, but a Sunil Joshi (25) cameo and wholesome thumping from Harbhajan Singh (36) saw the team notch up 229. India 'A' came together well on the day, teaching their seniors a lesson or two. Manohar (37) began patchily but added to his three-wicket haul to make for a memorable game. After the fall of skipper VVS Laxman, with the score on 83, two more quick wickets fell. But Yuvraj Singh then restated his claim for higher honours with a sprightly innings of 55. In the past, there have been many occasions when the strong left-hander got good starts, appeared in command, only to throw his wicket away. That certainly was not the case today. When the ball was there to be hit, Yuvraj gave it a fair whack, and he did not make a serious error until the ball that dismissed him. By that time, India 'A' were close enough to the target for the tail-enders to complete the job, which they duly did.

Security arrangements fit for a king Nasser Hussain's team have been provided probably the biggest security apparatus assembled for any visiting team in India. More than 10,000 plainclothesmen, aided by closed-circuit television and sniffer dogs, will cover the Englishmen with what they believe is a foolproof security blanket. The police have taken these measures after heightened threats of a terrorist attack. "We are not taking any chances with the cricketers' security," Deputy Commissioner of Calcutta Police Banibrata Basu is reporterd to have said. "Several thousand police personnel will keep a strict vigil, beginning with England's arrival. The security cordon will include the match venue, the hotel where the players will be staying, and the places they will visit for practice. Even the roads that the teams pass through will be well guarded." Kolkata will host the first one-dayer, and the Indian government, in a unique move, has already sent security officers to oversee the arrangements at the venue.

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