Typically different

Nagpur's chief groundsman is well-known in these parts for his discipline.

So his refusal to bow to the requests of the England management on Monday was very much in character.

When the tourists asked if they could use the same nets as India, after demanding to practice separately from their opponents, the groundsman put his foot down. He had laid out a specific wicket for them to practice on, he said.

The day then got harder for England coach Duncan Fletcher in the afternoon press conference.

Hounded with questions by the local press - mostly relating to the pressures of winning in India - Fletcher turned to Andrew Walpole, England's media spokesperson, and sighed: "These questions really are difficult to answer."