Date-stamped : 23 Dec96 - 06:14 20 December 1996 Home Sweet Home Gary Kirsten Fellow Capetonians, hear me. Never take for granted the blue skies above you, or the fresh air around you. I knew I was miss- ing home while I was in India, but I didn`t know how much until we returned. I felt like kissing the airport tarmac when we walked down the steps of the plane on Sunday Hershelle Gibbs and myself then kept an early tour promise and drove to La Med for a bitterly cold sundowner, although it was more the beauty of the view and the relief of being back that we were gulping down as much of the beer. The drive from the airport was very confusing, not to mention disappointing. Not a single cow, pig or camel in sight, never mind on the road with us. And no scooters... not even a single blast from a car hooter. And no piles of rotting garbage. These things have been an in- tricate part of life for the last nine weeks; to be suddenly deprived of all of them was quite a shock. Still, I seem to be coming to terms with "normality" once again!! Wednesday and Thursday saw me having nets with the WP guys at New- lands and the difference in conditions was as great as the "culture shock". Seriously, when wickets are as different as India`s and South Africa`s then the game of cricket can be called by a different name. The ball bounces so much higher and comes onto the bat in a way it nev- er did on the sub con- tinent. It takes a major adjustment to try and find the middle of the bat again, but I`m getting there! All the inspiration I needed came from the sight and smell of the brewery next door. It is very comforting to practise within such close prox- imity of a cold Castle... Nine weeks. Nine weeks. I`m not sure people realise how long that really is when you`re on the road as we were in India. It`s only just started sinking in with me since we were arrived back. When you can walk around your home streets (Claremont, in my case) and see whole buildings that weren`t there when you left, then you know you`ve really been away. I also couldn`t help noticing how many of my close friends seem to have been eating ... or maybe I am just compar- ing them to myself because everyone tells me I`ve lost a lot of weight and they all look like they`ve gained weight to me!! Be- ing a great salad eater one of my most exciting moments came when I went into a small restaurant and I realised that I could order a Greek salad, knowing that it would not only be fresh but also ... safe. I didn`t need to check whether the lettuce had been washed in bottled water! Speaking of clean wa- ter, cleaning my teeth with the stuff that comes out of the tap has been another great thrill. You won`t believe how many times I ran out of bottled water with my mouth full of toothpaste in In- dia!! But I digress. The national selectors seem to have made some tough excellent (though tough) decisions in the squad for the first two tests against India. It always hurts to be left out of the team, and I`m sure it`s not easy for Jonty and Fanie, but they are resillient and determined guys and I know how keen they will be to fight back. On the other hand, it`s fantastic to see young guys breaking through and forcing themselves into contention. Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock have been there before, of course, and they have proven their qualilty, but Adam Bacher has powered his way into the squad with an incredible sequence of scores. I`m looking forward to having another OC (Open Championship) companion in the team. Personally, I think the new squad is tremendously well balanced and contains all the ingredients we need to start the series on a winning note. Happy Christmas!! Source :: Cape Times Contributed by Rodin