Flashback to the World Cup in 1996

A growing paranoia, which has emerged in the aftermath of England's concerns about security, will add several rungs of security men beyond the cordons that have always existed.

Sometimes it may get too much for the players - but it's what they want isn't it?

The English cricketers' security is expected to reach an unprecedented level, surpassing that for the Pakistani team in 1999 and the World Cup in 1996.

And whatever is provided by the Indians will leave little work for any extra security officer England's cricket board might employ.

The full-time security officer would, in the end, have a decorative post and a job profile of tagging along hoardes of securitymen.

He may be restricted to peeping under the beds to ensure no authograph hunter has eluded the sequence of searches.

"I wonder if those voicing security concerns have seen the rungs of security cordons during any cricket tour to India," says Board of Control for Cricket in India's joint-secretary Jyoti Bajpai.

"No wonder that cricketers who've toured this country in the past are in the forefront trying to allay the England team's fears," Bajpai said.

Two-fold strategy

State police and intelligence forces will provide the bulk of ground forces at each and every venue.

The inputs provided by the state units, given their insight into local events, will as always be the most vital in preparing separate security blueprints for different venues.

But any overall security audit for such a high-profile visit will surely be supervised by the federal security agencies, working in tandem with local law-enforcing forces.

"There's no question of playing down cricket's importance as every international cricket fixture acquires a very high profile," says Indian cricket board's secretary Niranjan Shah.

"But the government knows how to handle security. Security concerns haven't bothered me a bit since the government gave its go-ahead to the tour."

Missiles

In truth, orange peels are likely to be the most dangerous missiles hurled at the English cricketers, across the fences which separate the cricketers from the spectators.

What the visiting team may miss is enjoying the sights and sounds of the diverse country.

The arrangements will be so robust that cricketers might even struggle to socialise.

What there won't be, however, is any security against the noise of the more boisterous spectatators.

Sorry, the English cricketers will have to bring their own ear-plugs.