India's new Sachin

By Phil Long With the Barmy Army in India

Travelling on the overnight train from Baroda to Nagpur, unable to sleep thanks to the continuous racket from over-eager tea sellers and over-excited toddlers, I had plenty of time to think.

And what occupied my mind was the question: "Can England ever have had a more miserable warm-up game than the one directly before the opening Test?"

Fans were conspicuous by their absence in Baroda

Illness and injuries and then the sudden departure of Marcus Trescothick from the tour means very few of the England squad will look back at Baroda with fond memories.

That's a pity as the Gujarat city was wonderfully hospitable for the five or so days I was in town.

Astonishingly good value accommodation and awesome local thalis that made my shorts a little tighter - imagine all-you-can-eat, Indian style - made Baroda a superb place to spend some time if you ignore the cricket.

One thing that has surprised even the local supporters out here has been the terrifically high day-time temperatures.

With the mercury in Baroda touching 39C on all three days the temperature is somewhere in the region of five to nine degrees hotter than normal for this time of year.

In Nagpur the cheaper hotels seem to be already chock-a-block to cheer on stand-in captain Freddie Flintoff and his men

So when we were told that water bottles weren't allowed inside the ICPL Ground and we would have to take our chances with the local water things weren't looking too promising.

We finally got around the "ban" with some diplomatic maneuvering known as a quick back-hander to the local police which possibly saved three more of us from joining the sickly English fraternity out here.

Hopes that Nagpur might be a bit cooler were quickly dashed on my arrival.

When asked what the temperature might reach in the next week or so my hotel receptionist answered ominously, "40 - or more".

One thing that I've noticed on this tour, compared to our last visit out here four years ago, is the almost total disappearance of Sachin Tendulkar from adverts on television and the giant road-side hoardings.

Last time around you couldn't turn your TV on without seeing him waving a credit card at you or take a rickshaw ride without a 20ft tall portrait beaming down extolling the virtues of the latest scooter, soft drink or cement mix.

Pathan has supplanted Tendulkar in public affections

But now Sachin is conspicuous by his absence and the advertising baton has well and truly been passed on to young Irfan Pathan.

My current favourite advert is for a disposable razor that leaves the Indian all-rounder with a terrible shaving rash rendering him quite unable to bowl until he gets his hands on the correct brand.

The way things are shaping up for England it would do us a world of good if life could imitate art and rule Pathan out of a Test or three.

Finally, the most common question I've been asked by local journalists is how many fans are expected to arrive in Nagpur for the first Test.

A quick guess-timate has been around the 150-200 mark, although numbers as high as 2,000 are being bandied around for the third Test in Mumbai (Bombay).

But in Nagpur the cheaper hotels seem to be already chock-a-block to cheer on stand-in captain Freddie Flintoff and his men.

The team might be struggling at the moment but it looks as if they certainly won't lack for support when the Test series gets under way.