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 | |  Monday, 7 January, 2002, 13:18 GMT Contrasts in Madras  England vice-captain Clare Taylor says the side are slowly getting used to life on tour in India. Our flight to India on New Years Day was delayed as to the plane needing de-icing, so the heat of India has been just one of the adjustments we have had to make in our first week of the tour. The squad had assembled on 30 December and trained together the following day at Bradfield College before a New Years Eve team meal. The entertainment for the evening was provided by our own version of Pop Idols, the winning entry being a rendition of Abba's Waterloo, retitled "need the loo" in anticipation of our trip to the subcontinent. We arrived in Madras at 2am local time with the temperature 25 degrees and that was raised higher when it was revealed that Sarah Clarke's luggage was missing. It was returned 30 minutes later by an Indian gentleman who had picked it up by mistake. Outside the airport it was very humid and still. The drive to the hotel took 50 minutes through deserted streets save for the odd cow, bullock and stray dog, although many people's bed for the evening was the pavement. The Beverly Hotel is five-star and very comfortable, and sleep was on everyone's agenda before our first training session on Indian soil. Settling-in The facilities weren't ideal but we improvised and got the jet lag out of our systems. A visit to the British High Commission - a palatial house 150 years old in beautiful grounds with overflowing food and drink - that evening showed the real contrasts in India.
We have a police escort everywhere we go and are confined to the hotel most nights. This escort draws attention to us and we are stared at continually but if you wave and smile you get a great response from them, no matter what poverty or squalor they find themselves in. Shanty towns line the length of the river with the flood plains providing areas for drying out the washing. Our first net session at Madras cricket club was very costly with three players picking up injuries. Helen Wardlaw (knee) and Laura Spragg (thigh) were both in the wars, and most worrying Claire Taylor landed awkwardly on her knee during a fielding session. The team for our first practice match therefore picked itself! Improvement We fielded first and limited them to 137 for 9 and reached our total with a few overs to spare, Arran Thompson top-scoring with 65.
After the game we were the guests of the former tennis player Vijay Armitrage at his sports bar within the Park Sheraton Hotel. Surrounded by amazing sports memorabilia we enjoyed a few kingfisher beers and chicken and chips in a nice change to the spicy food we are slowly becoming accustomed to. Amid this decadence for a few hours we forgot we were in India! | |   Change of pace
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