The following game at Gwalior was pleasantly subdued and only a ripe, half chewed apple was tossed at Dermot Reeve. An apologetic hand was raised from the audience and an unidentified voice conceded that given the dross served up by Reeve, he was mistaken for a trash can. The episode passed without blood making an appearance and a good time was had by all. Food had contrived unremittingly to oust England in '93. An innocent shrimp dinner in Madras to commemorate 60 years of Tests between England and India had the effect of flushing English bowels and from that point oranges and bottled water formed the core of their nutrition chart.
Teams quickly adapt.
To regard anything small and airborne infiltrating the playing area with suspicion is the sign of a green player. By the second week, a belting by the spectators is met with joshing world weariness. Fruits, however, when propelled with the necessary verve have always had the effect of mangling foreign concentration. The one to earn Walsh's wrath did not miss Phil Simmons, hardly astonishing since Phil is a large man who walks very slowly, but the commendable accuracy of the missile's owner was overlooked by the West Indian captain. By taking his team inside he stalled for 16 overs, managed an improbable draw, and talked of abandoning the tour.